love bites
by classic charm
Summary: who says love and knowledge dont mix? not when the LEP's newest captive requests audience with infamous Artrmis Fowl. all she wants is a conversation with him or so it seems. she wants everything from him and vise versa but lyrissa's all about the blood.
1. Chpt 1: microdots

_Interogation Room  
3:34:27 pm_

I hummed softly to myself. The interrogation room was a fifteen foot cube. I liked the high ceilings, nice touch. It was designed for the most uncorroperative of guests. Which would have explained why I was handcuffed to this chair which was bolted to the ground with reinforced steel. Not hard to break but when there happened to be enough laughing gas inside any break I could make in it. I was rather compelled to sit down calmly.

I wondered how much time had passed. They took my watch to my displeasure. Which followed by my shoelaces. Hey, at least I'm comfortable. I mean, it could be worse. I could have a flipping centaur watching every move I make through a microscopic camera somewhere on the wall. Said centaur could also be listening in to anything I said with a microphone, approximately the same size. Oh, wait, that happened five minutes ago.

"Can I have something to drink?" I asked sweetly, licking my lips.

"Are you willing to cooperate?" said someone over a speaker I could not see. I targeted the sound which was coming from behind me. Through the gleam of the steel table in front of me I pinpointed to origin of the disturbance and magnified it through the desk's scratched reflection. It made me a little nauseous but I got over it.

"Centaur," I stated. "I would have put you around the age of thirty three human years. Male, cocky, you might like my brother. He enjoys devouring your type."

"Very funny," he said sarcastically. "Do you have a name?"

"Do you?" I countered. "And honestly, a microdot? I was expecting someone to at least speak to me in person. I am rather thirsty."

"Smart little leech," I heard someone mutter behind him. My ear pricked.

"Care to restate that last comment?" I sneered. "I could be out of here in twenty seconds flat if I wanted to."

"So why don't you?" challenged the separate voice. He seemed rather agitated. Did I kill someone in his family?

"I'm not going to give you a reason to send four thousand volts of electricity through my body," I said smiling into the camera which was undoubtedly in front of me. "Let's see. Elf for sure. I'm guessing that you were an only child and the middle age of any cousins. Harsh father, most likely argued with the spouse. Or spouses by that slightly hurt tone in your voice."

"Who do you-"

"Lycaena Hella," I said unfazed. He would get the joke and I'm not refering to my little centaur friend. "Come on centaur. I gave you my name and I have a feeling that you're running a background check on it only for it to come up blank."

The failing beep sound through the speaker, barely audible for even my hearing, confirmed these suspicions.

"You know, if you give me your name I'll be less likely to drain you of your precious blood," I said. "Of course, I've never been all for promises. But centaur is a has a tad too much sinew for my taste. I favor the Florida Panther."

Even this would give him enough information to bump me up on their LEP's Andnihilo List. Which, in my opinion, is a spectacular list to be on. Andnihilo is basic Latin for Demon. You wouldn't believe how much the humans stole from us. By telling him my food choice I identified myself as a vampire that was able to travel to the human world and back. But he knew that already seeing that I was busted in a Miami club for killing some guy who was hitting on me.

I only bit him once. And he wasn't even worth it, his blood was all bitter.

"Well then Lycaena Hella, are you going to corroperate?" asked the centaur. He was very experienced seeing that his tone was still level with the slightest hint of distraction as he worked magic with a keyboard.

"I'll tell you everything," I said leaning it towards the camera. "Three conditions."

"Name your price demon," I swear if that elf classified me with werewolves _one more time_I was going to not only bite him but let him burn in hell for the week it took to change. Then I'll kill him. I have some Venenum somewhere...but it might have been one of the things they confiscated.

"I'll tell you everything you want to know about the Prasylabras as long as you do these things for me first," there was no comment. "You might want to write this down Oh Unnamed One.

"First off, I would like to take a shower. I am perfectly capable of bathing myself and I care to do just that. This is not an excuse to tasser me randomly. I will corroperate under these conditions.

"Second, a drink would be pleasant. Note that I am not demanding but rather requisitioning all of these to be filled. I would prefer a nice, long drink. Seeing that it is illegal to offer me the live prey I desire, I will settle for some normal blood. Nothing human, we wouldn't like to get out of control now would we.

"My final requirement is rather blunt," I said folding my hands behind me. "I want Artemis Foul in this room within forty-eight hours. He may be accompanied by up to three beings. Anything less of these simple requirements will result in your immediate demise. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."

--  
**this is the shortest thing i have ever written. ever. i think the author's note on my last story was longer than this. so i like to think of it more like a prologue instead of a chapter. i just want someone to tell me whether or not the idea is going to be pleasurable to read about.  
translation: review. please!  
jace :)**


	2. Chpt 2: contrary to popular beliefe

**just to tell you how good my memory is, i forgot what i first named this story. and i made up a time period so use your imagination. sorry. anywho...**

(Artemis's pov)

I really did detest this place. The monotony of it was truly sickening. I sure I'm not the only person here who hates school but hate doesn't describe a level of intensity I'm aiming for. The very idea of I, Artemis Fowl, to be placed in such a facility was opprobrious.

A math sheet in front of me I had finished in two and a half minutes. It was like handing a MIT graduate a kindergarten math sheet. At first I tried to relax but then I realized that I was me and that wasn't going to happen. I doodled meaningless equations on my notebook but then the bell rang.

I gathering my few belongings and made my way to the cafeteria. It wasn't a far walk but a school aid stopped me in the hallway.

"You need to go to the Main Office," she said. I was rather pleased, but slightly confused. I had not yet sent in the voice over direction my immediate exit from the school. Perhaps Butler has something to do with it.

The main office was a quaint little area but not of my taste. I saw that the principal had gotten yet another chair after my comments on the last. This pulled at the corners of my mouth but I did not smile.

"Good afternoon," I said to Butler who was too in the office. He was backed up against a wall inconspicuously and the look on his face truly baffled me. Of course I would not let on to this fact but rather ignore it until all variable became known.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Artemis," said the principal. "I have some good news for you. Starting today you will by pulled out of school for a holiday with your family. Mr. Regalve is here to take you home."

Mr. Regalve? Butler did enjoy coming up with new names. I wondered who I was going to end up being in all this mess. And why would I be pulled out of school for _holiday_and not permanently. My pride got the best of me while I followed Butler into the limousine.

There were two others in the limousine. One I recognized immediately as Holly short who had her legs crossed in her LEP recon gear. The other was a boy, about fourteen, who barely moved. He had perfect posture with his feet flat on the ground and a glare that all but shattered the glass of the window.

"Hello Artemis," Holly smiled. "It seems that you _services_ are needed momentarily."

"My services?" I asked. "Do forgive me but I haven't a clue what is going on."

"A vampire by the name of Lycaena Hella request that she sees you," said Holly distastefully.

"It is very probable that your vampire is not named after a butterfly," I said sitting back as the limo pulled forward. "And why, may I ask, are you even allowing this? Am I some sort of underworld superstar or something of the short?"

"The vampire is about to bust open a ring of demons, nymphs, pixies, vampires, and elves that have been conspiring against us for centuries!" yelled Holly. Calming herself down she added, "No one outside of your antics knows who you are. We are confused on how the girl even got your name but seeing you was part of her requirements."

"Lryissa," said the ghostly pale boy in the corner. He had leaned back but his mussels were tense as he refused to look at me. "Her name is Lyrissa."

"Artemis, meet Christophe," said Holly. "He claims to be a good friend of our captive-"

"Lyrissa," he cut in. "Is making a mistake by wanting to see you," he said with his hands clenched in fists. "Not to mention that she's so headstrong that the one person on the face of the Earth she'll listen to is me."

"So let me get this straight," I just wanted to be sure I had all the facts right. "Some vampire, Lyrissa, wants to see me as part of her conditions before she breaks open the equivalent of the mafia to you. Christophe here is another vampire who wants to talk her out of it or at least get her not to see me. Where did you find him anyway?"

"I came forward," he said hostily. "And if Lyrissa is going to make the biggest mistake of her life then I might as well be around to protect her when all hell breaks loose."

Good reason. I'm going with he is her boyfriend.

"Can I walk from here?" asked Christophe. "Your Artemis is tempting me a little too far."

As if on cue the car stopped and Christophe stepped out. He wore modest clothing that I was positive was from some designer. Armani probably but that was only an educated guess. The dress shoes he were wearing were obviously custom made but Christophe didn't seem to mind as he stepped out into the mud with them.

It had rained the night before but was sunny today. I wondered what happened to a vampire in the sunlight and it was rather anticlimactic as Christophe stood in the sunlight like any human being. He closed the door and the car speed off, I saw Christophe put his hands into his pockets and start walking off after the car.

"Contrary to popular legend," said Holly taking a drink of some water which she quickly spit out. "Vampire don't burn up in the sunlight. A common mistake that has gotten many a junior LEP officer killed.

"Also, you can't stop vampires. The only things strong enough to do that would be a werewolf which we have no clue where to find. Other than that, you can electrocuted them which will halt them momentarily. They may be dead but they still feel pain."

"What do you know about this Lyrissa?" I asked.

"For one she doesn't drink human blood," she said. Not very reassuring but it was a start. "Lyrissa mentioned that her favorite type of blood was Florida Panther but we found her for draining a clubber out of him blood in Miami. According to her it wasn't even worth it.

"She seems to be very much a loner, there were only three contacts in her phone including Christophe and a pizza parlour."

"Why would she be ordering pizza if she lives on a diet of blood?" I asked.

"When we went to investigate it was just a pizza parlour," shrugged Holly. "The only other contact in it was an entry labeled as Swift. The number was disconnected when we tried a trace. Foaly tell us that the number is a cell phone that was made by someone with enough knowledge to lead the humans to our hide away."

"How is Foaly?" I asked.

"Focus Artemis,' said a rather serious Holly, I could tell she really wanted this girl to talk. With me she would be singing like a canary. "We know nothing about her but the fact that she wants to see you. Other than that all Lyrissa wanted was a drink and a shower. She obviously belonged to the Caleb by the tattoos on her upper arm, the same goes with Christophe.

"The Caleb has been taking down everything form the inside. We know not how far their numbers reach or why they hate us so. Lyrissa and Christophe are run aways from the group. I could accurately place Christophe at somewhere over a hundred years old but not much. Lyrissa keeps changes our age ranges so she could be anywhere from a newchild to four hundred.

"Even less is known on Christophe," she went on while I absorbed everything like a sponge. "Besides his name and age we have no clue who he is. They are both very careful not to give us full names but refer to eachother by call signs or ranking numbers based on a system we do not understand.

"Did you get all that?" she asked taking a deep breath. "That's about it on Vampirian Knowledge and the Caleb."

"Great," I said starting to become eager to see Lyrissa. She was a rather curious being that I could learn much from. The limo came to a halt and Butler opened the door. Christophe was standing outside an abandoned train station, leaning against a lamp post with his eyes closed.

"What took you so long?" he asked quietly.

--  
**well that was still really short but i write short chapters more often then long chapters so bare with me people. typing in Artemis speak made my brain hurt because it's still too early in the morning for this. ugh, adios!**


	3. Chpt 3: the bat cave

**You know what, I am EC. I just could pronounce nor spell my name for a year or so before I got it right.  
yeah, i'm jace; i own naught.**

"She's not going to like you," said Christophe to me. "She'll say you're short."

"Am not!" yelled myself and Holly at the same time.

"Alrighty then," said Christophe with his eyebrows raised. "So which did she mention, the Caleb or Prasylabras?"

"There's a difference?" asked Holly and Christophe slapped himself in the face. "She said Prasylabras."

"Yes, there's a huge difference!" he said. "God Lyrissa! What are you thinking?"

"Can she hear you?" I asked.

"No she can not bloody hear me!" he snapped in his British accent. "And if you think the Caleb's bad then you're going to love the Prasylabras. The Caleb is like the devil. The ruler of the underworld and his followers which are known as Shadowkin. Shadowkin will basically gnaw your face off and steal your heart. They're not that hard to kill, Seelie knife in the ribs should do it.

"The Prasylabras are a hundred times worse," he ran his fingers through his hair. "We worked in the Prasylabras. Now, mind you, neither of us are active members but the Prasylabras don't let you out. We can't cross a street without worrying about them. The Prasylabras are always watching. They have members that are human, elf, vampire, werewolf, pixie, nymph, and quaelements."

"Quaelements are extinct," said Holly.

"Oh really?" asked Christophe. "I knew one named Benjamin. Looked seventeen and left the Prasylabras to marry some girl. He was shot in the back of the head six times a week later. He had the record for longest time alive after leaving the Prasylabras. And Lyrissa's a quaelement just because she's technically undead doesn't mean they're extinct."

"What's a quaelement?" asked Butler.

"It's a being who can control the four elements," I said. It's wasn't all too hard to figure out seeing that the name was self explanatory.

"You think this makes your head spin try time travel," smiled Christophe. "Also seeing into the future sucks. You blank out in the middle of a supermarket and the next thing you know you're being put into rehab for drug use."

"How do you know all this?" Holly asked the question that was on my mind.

"I'm a hundred and fifty six, I get around," he said and I was a little taken aback. For God's sake he looked fourteen.

"Mind reading too," he went on. "No privacy whatsoever. Well I guess we better go and get down to LEP's HQ."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Damn vampire know-it-alls."

We all went into the abandoned subway station. Christophe even had to help Holly pull off some wooden boards keeping intruders out. Christophe looked at me a bit indignantly when I didn't help but I'm sure he got over it. I followed them into the subway, the air was heavy with dust and dirt as my shoes left footprints in the debris on the floor.

Holly and Butler hopped down onto the rails and I raised my eyebrows. I had no time to protest when Christophe violently pushed me. He smiled slyly when I fell on my face but he jumped down with total grace. Damn vampire know-it-all.

We walked down the rails and I trusted that there was not a train coming. Or so I stood corrected when Christophe froze.

"The rails are vibrating," he said. I couldn't feel a thing. "They're moving I can feel it. We have approximately three minutes to find the tunnel or you three are going to end up flattened."

"And of course this has no impact on you," I said with sarcasm I hadn't used in a while.

"Nope, I'm already dead," he said cheerfully. "All of you stay here. I don't remember where the door is but give me a second."

His image blurred forward and back as a breeze whipped by me. Holly tapped her toe impatiently as Christophe returned. Butler seemed as confused as I until figured out why his image was moving too fast for my eye to see.

"Super speed," he said. "Comes with the fangs. And follow me."

He walked leisurely, balancing on a railroad track without even trying. Holly was eager to find wherever this door was and I doubted she even knew why they were going through it. The floor beneath me started to shake a bit as Christophe did not change his pace as I did a quick calculation of the speed of the train and how many feet per second it traveled.

The numbers were not in our favor unless that door appeared out of no where within 5.625412 seconds.

"Christophe," I said.

"Here we are," he said turning towards a wooden panel in the tunnel. He pushed to door open and all of us piled in. I could feel the wind rush by as the train blurred passed us. There was no light in the room with the exception of the lapsing lights on the train cars.

Christophe grumbled something before brushing himself off and snapping his fingers. Going two by two, sets of floor lights lit themselves going backward 100 yards.

"Home sweet home," said Christophe.

"Look Chris," he flinched at the name but Holly couldn't have cared less. "Why is it you've brung us down here?"

"Brought," we all corrected simultaneously. Christophe started to walk down the linoleum tiles towards what looked like a Barabus TKR. The world's fastest car if I wasn't mistaken which I hardly ever am. The only thing that seemed out of place about the black car was that right next to it was a sofa, coffee table, and laptop.

That was all there was in the large space. Well, if you didn't count the bookcases of weaponry that followed.

"Here," said Christophe tossing Butler an inventory of nearly a thousand pages as if it was a Frisbee. Butler caught it but with a loud thump. "Descriptions and everything. And don't ask why we have a Bagalore Torpedo. I found it next to a road."

"Back to my originally grammically correct question," said Holly a bit annoyed. "Why are we here?"

"Because this is the fastest way to the LEP headquarters that doesn't involve departicalization," he answered. I realized that throughout this ordeal I had remained rather quiet.

"Departicularization?" I asked. I had yet to find a breakthrough but I did not think one would receive cell phone service underground but Christophe whipping out a buzzing phone.

"Not now," he hissed. "I'm a tad busy. Why you little-" the phone snapped in half in his hand. "Qui shruvelous!" he swore in and ancient language I had not been aware of. "And it was really hot one day and neither of us wanted to go out so she created some teleportation thingy."

"Thingy?" Butler asked picking up a large gun from one of the shelves. "With your vast knowledge 'thingy' was the best you could come up with?"

"That's about to go off in five seconds if you don't put in down," he remarked. "Four, three, two..." Butler put it down. "We have everything keyed to voice."

"Stop dancing around the freaking question!" yelled Holly as Christophe sat down and opened the laptop. I do believe that was the closest Holly had ever gotten to swearing in human terms. Excuse my own language but Holly must be seriously pissed off.

"Yeah, we're going to drive there," he handed me the laptop and a sticky note that had a complex algorithm written on it. "You're going to need to activate the guidance system on the car. I'm going to work on shielding and Holly, would you be so kind as to assist Butler in finding adequate defenses?"

Holly walked over to Butler and picked up a gun half the size as she was. "What does this one do?" she asked.

"Kill things," Christophe said. "They all kill things. Just find one you think matches your outfit or something."

I went onto the computer and started to imply the algorithm. My skills were nothing short of poetry until there was a negative sounding beep asking for a security code into the car's personal guidance systems.

I looked over to Christophe who had slid under the car and was doing something crafty. I didn't want to ask for his help so I just put in a universal password. As I typed the most common eight letters in a deafening siren went off around us.

Even I could hear Christophe banging his head into the underbelly of the automobile in surprise. I clutched my hands around my eyes which did not lessen the sound but rather amplify it.

"Alarm off!" yelled Christophe rubbing his head and glaring at me. "For Christ's sake just _ask_. Now I have to go bang out that dent before Lyrissa kills me for screwing up her car. The password is _scruples."_

I typed in the word and I was logged in with a little smiley face. I would have blushed had I not been so enveloped by the legions of information flashing its way across the screen. For once I did not understand a word of it. It was a rather eerie feeling that I did not at all enjoy. Very much like being outsmarted by a six year old.

Feeling rather compelled to ask what was going on there was a triumphant beep as a main menu came up. There was a favorites list including a pizza parlor in the middle of New York City. What was with this girl and pizza? The others were listed under headquarters for the CIA, FBI, MI6, something called the FHA which I had never heard of.

"Third one from the bottom," said Christophe. "The web address on the left."

I clicked the link and YouTube opened up, _Never Underestimate A Girl _by Vanessa Hudgens started blaring through invisible surround sound speakers. **(A/N: never again)**

"Your _other_ left," growled Christophe. Holly looked like she was about to kill me so I quickly closed out the window. I then tapped cautiously on the next link which brought up another window of Yahoo mail. I clicked on the one titled _When Christophe forgets how to program stuff into the TKR._ It was a lucky hunch as the folder opened with clearly labeled tabs for emails all sent from the same user to the computer account.

On the one titled _GPS locations _I found a little box to type in the desired destination. The computer would automatically hook up with the car and load into it the easiest course of action. Hopefully avoiding any lava pits seeing the anit-lava box that I quickly selected on the bottom.

It took only a moment to process before the directions came up like in MapQuest. Not that I have ever used the dreaded site but the logo said LyrissaQuest.

"I'm done," I said as Christophe slid out from beneath the car on a skateboard. "Captain Short? Butler?"

They were having _way_ too much fun playing around with those guns.

"Don't touch that!" yelled Christophe and Butler all but ducked and covered getting over to me in record time to protect me from a potential blast or shrapnel.

"Why?" asked Holly still holding the light blue cube. "Will it explode?"

"No, I've just wanted to see what Butler did. And you really shouldn't handle that because it melts," said Christophe and Holly noticed that there was now a light blue goo in her hand. "And it's super glue. Whatever you do, don't touch anything. It'll harden in a few seconds..."

As if on cue the blue changed into a grey and cracked a little before Holly peeled it off. She flicked it into a trash can that I had failed to notice and picked up another gun. It looked to be a handgun and had the words Axe and Hammer Precision Instruments written on the side. I grinned at the joke.

"I'm good," she said.

"Great because that melts too," Holly dropped the gun at Christophe's words. "That was a joke."

"Vampires have no sense of humor," said Holly retrieving the weapon.

"Neither do pixies but they never seem to be bored on a Friday night," Christophe walked over the shelves and came back with a gun and A bow and arrow. He handed me the gun. "It's very simple. Point, shoot. Try not to kill yourself."

I examined the gun in my hand. it didn't seem to be made out of metal but some diamond hard substance. It used good old fashion bullets but that was before I saw the label on the side said they were made out of depleted uranium. It didn't look to have a safety either...

"Come on," he said getting into the driver seat of the car and turning it on. "This car can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 1.67 second?" he asked. "It also has 1005 horsepower and costs more than half a million dollars. Around 300,000 Eros. But do you know what my favorite thing about this car is?"

I was almost afraid to answer as Butler got into the passenger seat and Holly and I were in the back. My fear got the better of me when Holly replied simply, "No."

"You can never tell when it's in reverse," he pushed the TKR to its maximum speed as I lurched backwards. I was starting to feel sick when Christophe stopped us abruptly in the dark of a passageway that had come out of the wall. I collected my thoughts and looked towards Holly who was having the time of her life.

"Can I drive?" she asked.

"Sure," said Christophe with a shrug. "Later though, I just want to get us to the LEP on time or Lyrissa's going to have a fit. I already dented the car with my thick skull."

"How are we getting to the LEP headquarters again?" I asked even though by that performance of driving I didn't want to know.

"Simple," he said. "We go down."

With that we were plunged into darkness we were enveloped into a free fall likely to result in both the death of the prized car as well as my own.

--  
**please review, it makes me feel special. love, hate, i must be doing something. whether it be right or wronge is up to you. i have a geometry test tomorrow so i'm gonna go ahead and hit the hay.  
buenos noches  
jace**


	4. Chpt 4: the meeting

**did i mention i love the reviews? i is bored and there's an old episode of ncis on and ash was forcibly taken to vermont to go skiing. no, i mean, really forcibly. his parents actually CAME down to the school and his dad pulled him out of class. i'm not going for the reason that the last time i went skiing i ended up in a hospital. damn tree!**

We were falling faster and faster until we came to an abrupt stop, my neck practically snapping with the force.

"Sorry," said Christophe. "I though I fixed that. It's a platform and the speed dial thing keeps getting loose. No worries."

"Christophe..." Holly warned and Christophe smiled apologetically. He pushed a button and the windows tinted immediately. A keypad flipped up and he keyed in a twenty number code and scanned his finger prints.

"Sorry," he said. "Lyrissa likes this car a lot and is a bit overprotective. And I just activated the invisibly coating that she painted on the car and windows. Now I am going to need all of you to buckle up because I'm not allowed to let anyone know who we are."

"How do you plan on getting through the traffic?" asked Butler.

"I have an unorthodox driving style. Starting with a parking garage on the west side," a door opened in front of us and Holly shivered despite the car being heated.

Christophe floored the gas and we surged forward. I was really starting to hate that smile he got. I gripped the arm rests as Christophe stayed on the sidewalk, driving somewhere around eighty miles per hour. There when there was a gap in the road he quickly jumped into it, nearly flattening a pedestrian in the process. Christophe turned on the radio and some hard rock song started to play.

"You know, it's actually been a while since I drove a normal car," he said and I almost vomited. "The station is on which exit?"

"Turn left!" yelled Holly and Christophe reacted with inhuman reflexes. "It should be coming up on the right; we'll have to use the back entra-"

Christophe veered into the opposite lane as a minivan took our place. He eased up on the gas just a bit so he didn't burn out the engine but I was thankful. This was a moderately industrious neighborhood and I could see us approaching the front of the LEP station. There were a few pipes lines up around a roped off section of the cracked sidewalk.

Then I saw the tanker truck coming towards us at a rate of 5.12 feet faster than the station.

Of course our little vampire friend did not seem to be the least bit fazed when he even sped up. I closed my eyes as my stomach turned over. It was going to be a long interview if I ever lived long enough to get to it.

Christophe actually drove onto the sidewalk and sped up even more towards the LEP entrance. Even if he hit the break now then we would still clip the side of the truck. He hit the pipes and rammed over the cement. Two of the tires were on the LEP station's front glass and by the way that officer was looking at me I could have sworn that the car was far from invisible.

Now Christophe pulled on the emergency brake while still pressing down on the gas and the front two tires were planted firmly on the building. Christophe really should see a specialist about those adrenalin issues was the only thing running through my mind as he once again sped up. Only this time we were going up a building, defying gravity.

"How are you doing this?" yelled Holly gripping the back of his seat as if there were no tomorrow.

"We have to do something in the summer," laughed Christophe. Windows shattered behind us but the soundproofing of the car reducing the screeching into a pleasant tinkling noise.

We landed with a large thump on the roof and skidded to a halt. I was dizzy but wasted no time tumbling out of the car. Neither did Butler but Christophe got out and opened the door for a shocked Holly who was hardly even breathing.

"Miss?" said Christophe offering a hand. If it hadn't been for the suit I would have said he stepped out of an old movie. Holly was obviously too shocked to think correctly because she took his hand and stepped out of the car blinking doe eyed.

Within ten seconds of the ordeal we were greeted by an army loading themselves onto the roof with rather fatal look weapons. Christophe put his hands up in the air with a sheepish smile.

"I can pay for that," he looked over the edge and down presumably toward the shards of glass littering the pavement.

We had been escorted into the room that observed the girl, Lyrissa. By we I meant myself, Butler, and Holly. Christophe was to be taken into custody but before that he had been taser a number of times for no apparent reason. I wondered to myself if they had police brutality laws.

Foaly sat in front of a number of monitors, all pointing to Lyrissa. I never realized just a beautiful she was. Her copper hair was tied back neatly into a ponytail that fell in waves below her shoulders. There were two strands that did not make it into the tie and they ended at the start of her jaw. She drummed her fingers impatiently against the table with bitten nails. Deliberately not making eye contact with the camera she inhaled deeply but her breath caught.

"What did you do?" she asked in a small voice. I don't think I've ever seen someone so beautiful look so choleric. "Why is he here?"

"Didn't quite catch that sweetheart," I watched as one of the cameras showing the front entrance flashed Christophe onto the screen. "14 November."

"February 9," she got up and her voice choked.

I watched as Christophe took a step forward and Lyrissa ran into his arms. The camera zoomed in on them but they were whispering.

"What's going on?" I asked Foaly.

"Don't worry," he assured. "A sensitive moment is no match for my systems," he tapped on his keyboard and suddenly their conversation came through speakers I could not see.

"I missed you," Christophe whispered to her. "Thank goodness you're alright."

"Don't leave," she begged. "I love you."

That cut through me more than it should have. I composed myself quickly with a glance from Butler.

"I'll never leave," he pulled her closer. "Did they hurt you?" he asked seriously, pulling away a bit and Lyrissa looked away.

"I have to tell them," she looked ashamed as Christophe lifted her onto the table without the least bit of effort.

"They. Will. Find. You." Christophe looked apologetically. "We can't keep this up. You don't have to do this."

"Get him out of there," demanded Root.

"I will tell them everything," said Christophe with his hand on her shoulders.

"No!" yelled Lyrissa making eye contact for the first time. "They'll kill you!"

"Better me than you," he lifted her chin. "Lyrissa, you know this isn't your purpose."

"Your purpose is not to die like this," she sobbed dry tears. "I can't lose you Chris."

"There's no day like living but the one you die," said Christophe. "You can find Artemis, you can shut them down, but you have to be alive to do it."

She was shaking her head, her hair hitting her cheeks.

"I have to go," he said. The door opened and once again guard flooded the room. Christophe put his hands behind his back and was handcuffed. An undoubted electric current ran through his body and he shivered with the pain, not letting it show to Lyrissa. "Tal won't hurt you if you don't say a thing," he kissed her on the forehead before he was pulled out of the room.

"What was that all about?" asked Butler. "Why are you hurting the kid?"

"Because he is more than capable of killing us," said Root. "Their kind doesn't know compassion."

"He seems pretty in love with her to me," challenged Holly. "Enough to give himself up to save her anyway."

Foaly brought up a screen where Christophe was sitting behind a similar table to that of which Lyrissa was still sitting on. He was confessing by the look on his face. Lyrissa lowered herself into a chair and put her head in her hands.

"Don't you dare hurt her," I heard Christophe say. "If you send so much as a static shock through her body I will cut every one of your hearts out. And you can bet your asses that's a threat."

"May I please speak to Artemis Fowl?" asked Lyrissa in a broken voice. "Please? Just for a moment. I promised..."

Her breaths were uneven as if she were crying but just didn't know how. He banged the table leaving a dent in it and glared right towards the camera as if she could see me.

"I know he's there!" she looked right at him. "Foaly? Is that your name? I suggest that you get him and whoever he chose as company into this room in the next sixty seconds or I swear to God I will murder every last one of you until you can drown in your own blood."

"Come on," signed Root. Even I could tell that while her voice shook that threat was legitimate. I walk filed down a hallway that was lined with men that had large guns marked with voltage levels. Before I went into the heavily bolted door Foaly attached some wire to my shirt.

"If she touches you this will shock her back to last month," he said.

Myself, Butler, Holly, and Root all made our way into the room where Lyrissa was sitting patiently. Apparently over her dramatics she was staring at me with a cool glare. I sat in the seat across from her and folded my hands.

"So we meet Lyrissa," I said.

"You're short," she said rather bluntly and Holly rolled her eye in my peripheral vision. "And young. Younger than you should be."

"Why is it you wanted to meet me?" I asked seriously. "You seemed to have made one large deal to get me here and I believe I deserve to know the reason."

She shrugged.

"Have you ever heard the story of Juan Ponce de Leon?" she asked. "A fellow that looked for the Fountain of Youth around Florida."

"Yes I know the story," I said impatiently.

"What he found before Florida was a city of ashes," she said. "A city of ashes and bones and blood where so many had fallen in an unknown battle. In the middle of this utter devastation there was a fountain constructed completely out of diamond. Out of the fountain flowed something accursed. Something that wars would be fought over and innocent would die by its blade."

"What?" I asked leaning forward.

"I don't know exactly what it is for it has many names," she said to me. "A group of beings united to protect the last of the waters. But corruption overcame the society and they became known for their evil rather than their good. They were later renamed the Prsylabas. The less form of them was known as the Caleb. They dried the last of the waters up until there was but a drop left.

"Christophe and I were chosen to protect the water. When we learned what they were planning we could not allow their plan to succeed. We took the water and spilled it across; mixing it with our own blood so it would become useless. The Prasylabas want our heads and won't rest to they get them."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"When I was still young a wise man once told me what my destiny would be," her head hung but she lifted it to catch my gaze where I took a sharp intake of breath. "At the time I was human and naive. I though he was crazed, soft in the head. But I was wrong and he told me that when I found you, you would save me."

"What did he mean I could save you?" I felt my hands shaking in the presences of such a goddess.

"Some of us can't be saved," Lyrissa took a deep breath. "That's all I have to say to you Artemis Fowl."

She got up and Root had a gun out and pointed in her direction. I also got up, not seeing any threat. If Lyrissa wanted to kill me then she would have already. She held out her hand and I took it. She pulled me towards her until her lips were at my ear.

"Keep this safe," she said in Greek. I understood and I pulled away. "Until we meet again Mr. Fowl," she smiled.

I left the room with Holly and Butler. I looked back to Lyrissa who was sitting with her back straight and shoulders square, still looking at me.

"What was the purpose of that?" asked Butler.

"I have no idea," I said. "May I please use the bathroom?"

"Sure," said Holly and she led me down a set of corridors that led to the bathroom. "I trust you can take it from here."

I went into the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I examined the object Lyrissa had slipped me back in the interrogation room. It was a hexagon wrapped up in a bit of paper. Unwrapping the paper I saw the paper seeing that it was indeed a note.

_Dear Artemis,  
I do apologize for having lied to you but you very well know that I cannot tell you the truth. At least I hope so.  
In this container there is that last of that water they found on Florida. DO NOT TRHOW IT OUT!! Guard it with your life.  
My brother, Christophe, he's a martyr and will die for me because I'm supposed to protect you. You, I have no idea how, are supposed to save us all. You think that's big, I'm supposed to fall in love with you.  
Just for the record, oracles _are_ sometimes wrong so don't you be holding your breath waiting for that last thing to happen.  
I do hope we can be friends,  
Lyrissa Elizabeth Alcyone  
p.s. shake the box. ONE TIME! If you do it more than once I will find you and hurt you._

I took a look at the two inch hexagon that was made completely out of diamond. Inside of it there was some water that filled it about halfway. I shook it a bit and it turned into a purple smoke. When I looked more closely into the smoke I could see it form into an image. There was myself... and my parents? My father's hand firmly on my shoulder, Holly by my side, Butler even lurking in the background.

What was the point of this? I brought it closer and the image erased, suddenly Lyrissa and I were walking together on what looked like a beach. The sun was setting and she was clinging onto my arm. I quickly put the container into my pocket. I didn't know what it meant or why it had changed but I didn't dare look at it again until I was alone once more.

I closed my eyes and sighed in an attempt to relax but when I closed my eyes all I could see was Lyrissa's face.

--  
**done with the chapter. please review! click the blue button. or is it purple?**


	5. Chpt 5: a greatly uncordinated escape

**well, you know i had to... especially after i typed this three times and it got deleted!**

I drummed my fingers mindlessly on the metal table. It had been two days since my visit from Artemis and I hadn't been pressed for a confession. I hated this feeling of being able to sense Chris one room away but not being able to see or hear him.

Being a vampire had obvious drawbacks. Sure super speed was great and all that but I was always hungry. Not so much hungry but there was always this _thirst_. I wanted, no needed blood. Every second of every day I desired that kill. The final sound of the next snapping or the light fading away from the eyes was what I lived for.

Another thought fill me mind, one of that Artemis fellow. Of course I had noticed the loveliness of his face, his sculpted features, the way his eyes shone, but mostly his blood. I could almost taste it. The sinking of my teeth into the tender skin on his neck, the filling sensation of his sweet blood running smoothly down my throat, it was a miracle I hadn't tackled him the moment he stepped inside the room.

His body guard was going to an issue. I didn't want to kill him because I wanted to save myself for Artemis. If I had anyone before then I wouldn't be able to kill Artemis, just change him. And I wanted that blood. I wanted every last drop.

I shook the thoughts from my head and a human shiver froze down my spine. I closed my eyes and tried to feel Chris. Nothing. I knew he was there but I wanted to talk to him. Ugh, stupid human wants never to leave do they? It's as old as Cane and Able...

My ankle were handcuffed to the chair and I took a deep breath. Not that I needed it, it just calmed me down.

Wait. No breathing no passing out when I break the chair. I smiled at the idea.

"May I please have a drink?" I asked Foaly in a sticky-sweet voice. I was as irresistible as a goddess this way and the best part was that I knew it. Hey, it beat given Chris the puppy-dog eyes whenever I wanted to go clubbing or cliff diving. Oh I am such a temptist. "Please?"

I batted my eyelashes at one of the multiple cameras focused on my face. "I'll be a good girl..."

I felt the vibrations from someone walking down to the door. When the elf came in I felt almost bad I was going to have to kill him. I took a deep breath. Right after he placed the glass of crimson blood on the table he turned to walk away. This was the exact moment I broke the legs off the table which freed my ankle. I got behind to poor should and took his gun out of his holster.

Ever last guard had a high voltage weapon pointed at me. The only problem with this was that I had an even more fatal one pointed at the head of this rookie.

"If you shoot he loses his head," I pulled the safety off the blaster. Most of these guys looked sure they wanted to kill me. I was screwed on so many different levels.

I took this time to examine my surroundings. I was unconscious the last time I was here so it was a new experience. We were pretty high up though, thirty-two floors if you wanted to be exact. I looked to the room where Chris was being held and I could hear his freaking out. As much as I want to, I wouldn't be able to break him out. Not to mention that this place was safer then anywhere we could hide out.

"Put the gun down," said the officer Chris had identified as Root. He had another electric gun pointed at me. I smiled and put my hands up. He had an itchy trigger finger but I was quicker.

See, I hadn't actually placed the gun on the floor. Actually, it hadn't even left my hand. So when Root took that step towards me I shot him. Not enough really to kill him but he was going to have a nasty scar on his neck.

Now that I shot Root the other guard peoples were infatuated with their head officer. At least for a moment anyway. So when they went to help I rammed into the on-reinforced glass windows and free fell.

I actually enjoyed the sensation, as suicidal as that may seem. The cool feeling of the wind hitting my face was the most serene pleasure in the word. The rest of the universe faded out as I became one with my surrounds.

Getting over my mopey hobbies I crouched and hit the cement, it shattering below me. I felt the shock waves but it was more tingly then painful. My only problem was that the heels on my black stilettos snapped. I was still, however, in a black miniskirt, ripped fishnet stockings, and red blouse that made me look like I worked a street corner.

I slipped off the shoes and started sprinting down the street. Vampires love to do things fast. Our hunting, driving, relationships, they all ended the same. Running, on the other hand, wasn't going to result in the death of anyone that didn't get in my way. Now if only I could find a a nice place to transport myself from Point A to Point B. Point A being a nice quiet place, Point B beinging wherever Artemis lived. Good thing I had a trace on the waters.

The world blurred by me when I ran. There were only going to be two places I knew of completely abandoned in this entire place. One that was boiling over with security, the other a rather easy place to gain access into. I do hope Captain Holly Short won't mind me breaking into her apartment...

**well the chapter is done. finally! i have no time to write but i'm having a killer rest of the week. sorry for the short chapter and constant change in pov's. please review! the blue button needs some love.**


	6. Chpt 6: clockwork

**love to all my reviewers!! i glare at those of you who refuse. i still own naught.**

"Artemis," I said the name slowly as I wrote it down on the floor. Ms. Short's apartment was not very luxuriated. There was not even a lock on the door. Well I take that back, there might have been but I kicked it in so...yeah. I had moved out all the furniture to the one side of the room and started burning some candles that were hidden in the Captain's bedroom.

Did he have a middle name? I mean, how many living quarters are there of Artemis Fowl II, male, black hair, pain in the human race's butt, blah, blah, blah. I shrugged it out but continued writing my description in Dutch. I had to skip some word because I'm not fluent in the only language that works teleportation underground!

This could go either really well or totally terrible. I closed my eyes and focused my energy on the soul meaning of the words. The reason of their creation that lay hidden under my script. I felt a spark within myself. I tried to hold on to the feeling because it perplexed me how I never caught the sensation that had so many times saved me.

It was like a new world forming in my chest. Welling up with emotion flashing back and forth from sorrow to compassion and loneliness to determination. An array of color exploded into a white beam of light and I braced myself. This was the painful part.

Chris had figured it out. Every particle of my being was being de-particalized and re-particalized back into the area of my description. English: I felt like I was being torn apart piece by piece from every angle. It was excruciating on _so_ many more levels than one and all I could do was sit back and clench non-existing fists.

The last of the feelings was subtly creeping up from my heart. I never really pinpointed this one because while it was the most painful part of everything short of dying, it was the shortest. I feel odd saying something is short when my teleportation takes less than a second.

But this was a new level of pain, one with more depth. It was like being shot with a large caliber weapon, dipped in acid, smothered with a blanket of bees, slowly drowned, drawn and quartered, and (my person favorite) being stabbed in the back with a white hot knife and having it twisted slowly.

All it needed was a Miley Cyrus song.

I tucked what I thought were my arms into the rest of my body and cracked my eyelids a fraction of a centimeter. The whole world spun around my so fast my eyes barely caught it. I flew through her apartment without control and through the walls like a spirit. I followed on the twisting path past the walls of the city and through the center of the earth. In this state nothing could harm me or follow me.

Lava bubbled exploded beneath my as I flew twenty stories up. There were brilliant displays of red blasting into orange and the waves of molten rock lapping against the stone sides of the cavern. There were no shuttles passing by for which I was thankful. This was the ultimate display of nature. Its raw power was totally and inalterability pure.

The trip was longer than most, about twenty seconds. The actually appearing at my destination involved me using my energy to pull my self together. That's why I had to be very specific about my location, even writing it down. It takes as much energy to pull myself together as it would take to get to the place. I couldn't afford to find myself back in a cell because I popped up in the middle of a school.

Any who, I saw the mansion coming up and felt myself relax. I felt myself stopping which is why I took a deep breath. I could feel the burn in my legs and my throat drying up. My arms started to ache and I got double stitches at my sides. Of course I could not hold them for my arms dragged with their own weight.

There was only one emotion, stronger than the rest. Determination. I had to make it there for some reason I myself did not fully comprehend. I just felt gravitation to whatever place I knew Artemis was. Not so much the waters but just the idea of him sent an unwanted tingle down my spine.

I felt myself fading out of consciousness when I hit the cold wooden floor. I hopped I didn't dent it. Not that I would care but a random, girl-shaped dent in the floor might be the least bit suspicious.

I fought the feeling clouding my mind even though I knew I shouldn't have. I wanted to stay awake especially when I heard the soft treading down the hallway. It had to be Artemis and I wanted to bee awake for him. But as the door opened on well oiled hinges the black fog took over my sight and I rested my head on the floor.

I am not sure whether what happened next was a memory or an event that actually took place but I felt a warm hand brush my hair out of my eyes.

--  
**ok, not my best admittedly but i'm having major writers block. i mean, it's like every time an idea is on the tip of my tongue I get hit in the face with a concrete block! so if anyone has any idea you can either review or PM me or e-mail me or SOMETHING!  
Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks. tick tick tick...**


	7. Chpt 7: strawberries

**grumble.**

To say it had been a long night would be a gross understatement. I had spent all day and the majority of the night trying to figure out the chemical compound of the water. This was proving a challenge seeing that I couldn't even break the seal.

My feet dragged across the carpet and I couldn't wait to hit my soft mattress and fall into a dreamless slumber. But when I turned the crystal handle on my door I found someone lying on my floor. I recognized her hair but I did a double take. Lyrissa? Here? In my bedroom? She grumbled something incoherently and I moved closer.

I brushed her hair out of her eyes tenderly. I felt as if I could stare at her for hours. Her face was at total peace but something seemed off. Lyrissa lay still on my floor as if a corpse and I knelt to feel her pulse. I realized that she was, by definition, dead but I could almost feel the life in her.

She shifted her body again in a steady murmur. She had spoken my name in question and her eyelids twitched but not enough for her to have seen light.

"Lyrissa? Can you hear me?" I asked to no reply. My medical knowledge diagnosed her to be either unconscious due to physical exhaustion. Nothing was waking her out of this sleep but it didn't feel right for me to just leave her on the bedroom floor like a dog.

Admittedly, I am not the strongest person in the word. Actually, the only physical strength I possessed was the ability to type with inhuman speed. Lyrissa, while undoubtedly more fit than me, was built to be very frail and short. It was still a challenge but I found a way to lift her frame onto my bed and fold her hands upon her stomach.

There was really nothing I could do for her but her body was deathly cold so I retrieved a spare quilt from one of the supply closets and I placed it over her body.

Though there were plenty of spare bedroom for me to have settled in for the night I didn't want to leave. Instead, I moved the chair away from my desk and sat opposite my bed and watched Lyrissa despite my own fatigue. After an hour or so I felt myself drifting into a welcoming sleep to which I embraced whole heartily. Of course in the back of my mind I knew that I was falling asleep with a blood thirsty vampire in my bed unconscious. But I found the position of my neck to be more of a medical threat than Lyrissa.

* * *

I awoke to someone shaking me with a detectable urgency. I opened my eyes to see that the only light of my room was coming from beams of sunlight streaming through gaps in the heavy curtains. Lyrissa was still asleep on my bed but she had turned towards the sunlight which streaked across her flawless face.

"Wake up," said Holly still shaking me.

"Thank you but I am awake," I tried to push her off of me with no avail.

"There is a vampire in you bedroom!" she whisper-screamed.

"I fail to see the logic in your alarm."

"There is a _vampire_ in your _bedroom!"_ she tried again, this time pulling me out of my seat and dragging me into the hallway where Butler waited patiently. "That thing escaped maximum security and put a gun to Root's head!"

"Shh!" I fretted over the thought Lyrissa might have been roused. "Her name is Lyrissa and she is unconscious. The proper thing to do would be to care for her until she is able to be set on her way."

"No, the proper thing to do would be to slit her throat before she slits yours," Holly charged, closing her arms indigently. "My job is to keep you safe. That's a bit difficult if you're sleeping in a coffin. And since when do you care about the health of the un-dead? Or the alive for that matter?"

"Since now," I resorted to for lack of a better comeback. "And if she wanted to have killed me then she would have already."

"Artemis," Butler cut in before Holly had another chance to argue her point. His words were calm and slow, as if choosing them carefully. "Are you sure that this is the smartest decision? Not the morally correct but if this was any other creature, what would you do?"

Capture it and interrogate it for further information on how it got past my defense systems.

"This isn't any other situation," I told him fully aware he would stand by me no matter what I chose. "And Lyrissa's dilemma would help both parties immensely if it proved to be dealt with easily."

"It's one helluva dilemma!" said the Captain. "She's wanted by every organization under the sun! There's a reward on her head ten times your own fortune. Anyone who helps her is either a fool or mad."

"The fools are sometimes the wisest of them all," I told her. "And if I recall, both you and I were on the top of wanted list underground as well. Were those who helped us fools?"

"But we were innocent," she said without a hint of compassion in her tone.

"What's to stop her from being innocent?" I asked. "Just take a chance, when have I ever been wrong before?"

"Shall I list them in alphabetic or chronological order?" asked Holly.

"List to your heart's content."

Holly thought for a bit but then sighed defeated. The truth of the matter was that every time I had been put into a life or death position I had chosen this right way. She bit her bottom lip in defeat as I fought the smug grin I felt pulling at the corners of my mouth.

"It's your funeral," she sighed. "But I am _not_ going to be the one explaining to Root why you're taking the dirt nap."

I obviously needed to devise a plan for how to handle this situation. First of all, I needed a sample of Lyrissa's blood before I could accurately make a decision on how to care for her. I also wanted an excuse to examine her DNA structure.

After retrieving a syringe I went into my bedroom. I made a mental note to change my clothes into something less rumpled. Not to mention that my tie was ruined.... Losing the though I made a move to plunge the needle into Lyrissa's vein but the needle in stead just skimmed off her skin.

I looked to Holly with a confused expression. Both Butler and she were supervising my activities, Butler with a stun gun carrying enough volts of electricity to; quite bluntly, convert a human mind into a smoldering crater of ash. Holly, on the other hand, was grinning with content that she possessed a form of knowledge unknown to me.

"You can't break their skin. That's why they are so hard to kill."

I should have anticipated this but my mind was too occupied with the way her eyes fluttered ever so involuntarily.

Grumbling incoherently I placed Lyrissa's arms back on he diaphragm and took a step back to do just a physical diagnosis. This was quite irksome because most of my medical knowledge was based purely on fact rather than the guess of appearance. I could tell next to nothing about who the girl that lay in front of me was.

"Butler, what can you tell me about her physical build?" I turned towards him.

He took a step forward and proceeded to conduct his own examination, lifting her arms, checking her eyes, and pacing around the bed.

"She has Greek origins by the structure of her face but her high cheekbones are bound to have come from a possible Dutch parent," he said. "She was very weak at the time of her death. I say death because she is not, by the definition of the dictionary, alive. I would have to say that she was starving.

"Other than that I can not tell you much except she bites her fingernails and fusses with the ends of her hair," he concluded stopping next to me. I leaned against the bed and watched Lyrissa's unmoving body.

"She was crying," I added. "You can see that, when she opens her eyes, there is a certain look to them that is suggestive of tears."

"Why is any of this important?" asked Holly impatiently tapping her foot. "So she bites her nails and was from Greece, how does any of this impact on whether or not she is safe?"

"Do you remember Christophe's eye color?" I asked but did not wait for the reply. "They were dark brown. Brown being the dominant gene in reproduction, Lyrissa's bright blue eyes can tell us that she and Christophe only share one parent. This will factor into a situation on a choice between herself and him.

"There were also not times of starvation in Greece or the Netherlands during the past four hundred years so it is safe to assume that she is either not as old as she suggests or she was from a very poor family. Also, judging by the way she fell, Lyrissa is left handed.

"And a show that she once bit her fingernails is proof that she had a matter to be worried about. It was not likely to be any other siblings because Christophe failing to mention any further kin. The tattoo on her hand," I motioned to the small dragon by the skin where her thumb and index finger met on her right hand. "This indicates that she was part of the group for less of a time than Christophe for there were more on his forearms than hers but they both share this one in common.

"The burn makes on her ankles, however, leave me at a lose," I pressed the crease in between my eyes in frustration. "But it may prove important in close combat.'

"Alrighty then," Holly raised her eyebrows. "Can we go now? I do not want to be here when it wakes up."

"It?" questioned Butler.

"The neither living nor dead," specified Holly scooting towards the door. "The whole concept of something drinking my blood just gives me chills."

"I just going to get a set of clothes to change into," I said and Holly excused herself.

Butler remained and I ignored his presents easily while I found something to change into. I did favor a more casual suit and shoes so I went into my closet in search of something Hugo Boss. I found the black pin-striped suit on a hanger and laid in on the unoccupied part of my bed while Butler's pager went off.

There were only three people on the face of the earth who knew that number. Not counting myself and Butler, Juliette must have been in quite a fix for her to have used it. It was an emergency and Butler quietly left with an urgent hint in his step. Dismissing the incident I found a white satin shirt, tailored of course, from Giorgio Armani and folded it in search of a pair of shoes.

"You missed the part about me liking strawberries," said Lyrissa playing with the needle, spinning the razor sharp point into her finger like a children's toy. "In between the part about you accusing Christophe of not being my brother and that I bite my nails, you forgot that I like strawberries." She placed the syringe back on its tray and lifted up a scalpel.

"Your blood smells like strawberries."

**do you have any idea how long it takes Hugo Boss's website to load? please review, it will make me feel better!  
purple button:  
l  
V**


	8. Chpt 8: wanna help?

**ahem. i actually think i'm coming down with something so ahem.  
i own nothing**

I was sitting up on his bed, my cold eyes locked on his. I twirled the play knife around in my finger like a mini baton while I looked towards Artemis. He hadn't gotten much sleep but there was shock clearly written across his face when I focused on something else but those flawless eyes.

"Strawberries?" he asked with eyebrows raised. "What does blood smell like to you?"

"Strawberries," I just said that. "Your blood anyway. But in general it just smells like blood. You'll be surprised how appetizing that is when everything else around you tastes like ashes and dust."

The corners of his mouth twitched in amusement while I stared at him with my mouth in a tight line.

"Are you cold?" he asked with a look towards my less than decent outfit.

"A well trained killing machine is within ten feet of your person and all you ask is if they're cold?" I put the scalpel down and flopped back on his bed. Oh how I longed for the comfort of sleep and the escape of dreams, anything to differentiate from this drunken slumber that always left me with unwanted pains.

"Well I'm worried about you," it was a slip of the tongue by the way his mouth snapped shut. Now it was my turn to smile.

"I can still kill you," I told him flashing my more than brilliant fangs. "It would be easy. All I would have to do was decide what way to kill you first. I could always just snap your neck; this would be painless by most accounts those I doubt very pleasant. No one would hear you scream. I could also use scarify."

He glanced towards the scalpel at the mention of the old word for making numerous incisions.

"I don't think that you'll kill me."

"Don't be so sure," I reminded him. "I betrayed everything I died for in less than three seconds. Not to mention that I'm impossibly strong, impossibly smart, and, my personal favorite," I zipped behind him and had my fangs placed on the side of his neck. "Impossibly fast."

"If you wanted to kill me I would have already been dead," he sounded confident in his answer but there was still a masked tone. "I doubt you decision would have been very difficult with all the other to practice on beforehand in my household."

I took my fangs off his neck but cherished the moments where my arms were wrapped around him. He smelt heavenly and I longed to just wrap my arms around him and burry my face in his sent, never to let go. But I only held on for an unnoticeable time longer before breaking apart and sitting at the foot of the bed.

"Figure out what the water is yet?"

"No," he pressed his finger on the bridge on his nose in stress. "I tried to figure out what is but every time I look at it the image changes."

I promptly smacking him in the back of his head and then sat back down again.

"Ow!" he turned around only to see that I was, once again, sitting calmly on the bed. "What was that for?"

"What part of 'only look at it once, if you do it more than once I will find you and hurt you didn't you seem to understand?" I crossed my arms and pursed my lips in mild irritation. Artemis took careful steps but joined me on his bed.

"What is it?"

"Magic," I said leaning closer toward him like a school girl with a secret. "The very essence of magic, if contained, can do miracles for even mortals. If you will it, it is done. It was my job to protect it from those stricken with greed but when the organization became corrupt I was forced to take it with me."

"So why do I see what I see?" he asked taking out the hexagon and examining it.

"Because the waters show you what you want," I smiled, ignoring the pictures I saw in the water of Artemis and myself. I wondered what he saw but the waters only show you your own intent. "And you won't be able to break the glass unless you are sure that what you want is what you want."

"But isn't a want defined as a single feeling of need towards something?" Artemis the dictionary said. "A want can be anything no matter how short or desired the desire, but so long as it exists, it is a want."

"Think of it like a rubix cube," I suggested only realizing that Artemis could solve a rubix cube in ten seconds flat. "Well it won't matter how many times you turn the cube because it won't be solved until all the colors match up on one side. You're going to have to want what you want more than anything in the world. More than life itself. Which means that we undead can just abuse the stuff into oblivion due to our outrageous acting ability."

"You like going off topic," he said with a smile that made me swoon. Get over it Lyrissa! He can't be with you so stop trying to fall for him!

"You like being the smartest person in a room," I smiled the same smile. There was some silence then as we just gazed at each other, saying everything we were too afraid to with our eyes. It wasn't until Artemis broke it that I became aware I had forgotten to breathe. No biggie, it just makes me look more human and easier to talk to.

"Can I be frank?" he asked suddenly serious.

"If you're Frank can I be Mary?" I asked.

"No."

"Julie?"

"No."

"Patricia?"

"No."

"Alice?"

"No."

"Loretta?"

"No," he said very close to laughing but he cut me off before I had a chance to get to my next name. "Back on topic, I am wondering why you decided to see me again. Not to seem callous but you did break out of a, in all honesty, prison to come back and give me a vague definition on the reason you gave me a container of water that I can't open. So why are you here?"

"To eat you of course," I shrugged. Hey, Dr. Phil says it not right to start a relationship on a base of lies. Not that this is a relationship! "And as long as we're being honest, I need your help."

"Don't what?" he asked. "I am, after all, in your services."

"That's not true seeing that I've done nothing but give you trouble."

"I get to miss school and uproot the foundations of society, I would be bored without you," did the famously unemotional Artemis Fowl just make a joke? We're a tape recorder when you need one? "But go on, I would be happy to help."

"Well I need you to help me break Chris out of prison," wow, that sounded so much easier in my mind. "You don't have to if you don't want to but I just need him to help me destroy the waters. It might take a while so you would be pulled out of school longer, would have to break a surprisingly large amount of laws, take on a coven of vampires, all of which want to drain your blood I might mention, and most importantly, be forced to do all this with me.'

"That sounds within reason," he said as if none of which I said had any impact on him whatsoever. Hello? Did the meaning of blood sucking leech change in the last hundred years? "But we do have to work out conditions."

Thank God I went to law school.

"Will Holly and Butler be able to accompany me?" he asked.

"The large square one and the short hyper one?" I asked. "Yes, they can come if they can keep up. Do you know how to swim?"

"To an extent," he answered in a questionable tone. "And my only other condition is that you'll have to make it known to my parents somehow that their son will be abroad for an undistinguished period of time."

"No prob," I blurred over to the computer and started to type up an e-mail from the head of the school board.

Blah, blah, blah, Artemis Fowl II, blah blah blah, specially selected, blah, blah, blah, esteemed sociologist Christophe Corelli, blah, blah, blah, possible two months.  
Yours Truly...

"There we go!" I finished beaming.

"You spelt miscellaneous wrong," he commented fixing up my terrible grammar errors. "Other than that it will suffice."

"You spell favored like a Brit," I said changing it to an acceptable form of English.

We went back and forth decided which way we wanted this e-mail to turn out before we doubled over laughing. This apparently attracted some attention as the door opened and a hulking being stood over us. He was in a rather nice suite that had to have been tailored. Let's see, if your feet are the size of the space in between your elbow and your wrist...yeah, he could practically squash me.

"Am I interrupting something?" he was fighting a smile and failing. Artemis immediately picked himself up and lent me a hand which I didn't take when I pulled my self to my feet.

"We were actually just finishing up," he pressed the _send_ button on his favored copy and I frowned. "It seems as if the four of us will be occupied upon the task of-"

"Wanna help me break my brother outa prison?" I asked putting my hands to my side and batted my eyelashes. _"Please?"_

He didn't seem at all taken aback by my request to free my jailbird of a brother. Hm...I think I liked him. Even if he did make me feel short. He did contemplate the matter for a moment then he nodded.

"Yea!" I gave him a big hug. This could actually work to some degree if the small giant was on our side. I didn't stop hugging him until I realized that with my strength I could pose internal damage. I let got but found myself on the floor in a second.

Some redheaded little pixie thingy was on top of my holding a gun to my head. It would have had enough power to kill me but I was more wrapped up in the fact that she was straddling me into a rather lumpy part of the carpet.

"Can I help you?" I asked irritated, pushing her off with enough strength not to hurt her. "You're in my personal bubble."

"Shut it fugitive."

I sighed and looked towards Artemis. "Care to explain?"

"No."

"Rock paper scissors?" and, of course, I beat him. Only because I saw his hand changing into the motion of rock but I figured that was a ploy to get me to go to paper so, in stead, I did rock and beat his scissors. It would make more sense if it were in your head.

Artemis sighed in defeat. I guess he had never lost a game of rock, paper, scissors before but hey, first times for everything right? So he escorted a rather agitated elf into the hallway and I looked around. It was only me and the large one now.

"Hi, I'm Lyrissa," I said holding out my hand to shake his. He took in and I could tell he was using a light grip not to hurt me even though my hands were a bit more than half his size.

"Butler," he said. I figured it was a last name but it was kind of ironic.

"So do you break people out of jail often?" I asked trying to make small talk.

"If Artemis asks me to, then yes," he replied in thought. "How old are you exactly?"

"Oh, somewhere around a hundred sixty," I shrugged. "Give or take a few decades, you stop counting when you hit fifty. What's your favorite color?"

"Blue."

"I like blue," I said trying to ignore the rate at which the elf's heat beat was increasing. "So...lovely weather we're having."

"It's raining," he said. "Can you let go of my hand now?"

"Oops," I quickly let go and saw him rub his wrists to speed up circulation. "I forgot. I think I should go hunting for something to kill that isn't human so I don't maul Artemis over evening tea."

"That would be a good idea,' said Butler rather serious.

"One more thing," if I blushed I would have. "Does Artemis have a girlfriend?"

He looked like he was ready to burst into laughter but shook his head.

"Don't mock me, I bite," I flashed my pearly fangs at him and he smiled at the joke. Hey, at least I have a sense of humor! Not to mention dying does great miracles for your complexion.

**ok, 'cause you guys/vampires/werewolfs/jedi actually reviewed me, i wrote faster. and even though nothing big really happened in this chapter the more you review the faster i go *hint, hint*  
hit the blue button!  
please**


	9. Chpt 9: not anymore

**bite me.**

You know, one would think that after a century and a half I would be a bit better at hunting. But boy oh boy, the look on Artemis's face when I stepped back into his house covered in blood was priceless.

It hadn't at all been a long hunt. My major problem was that there was absolutely no large game in the area. Staying away from the towns was easy seeing that none existed on his obnoxiously large property. On the other hand, the wolves did taste especially good. Hm, I must be getting back in touch with some roots.

It was mid afternoon when I walked back into the house. I was well aware that I was covered in blood but was hoping I would be able to find something to wear before I walked into anyone. But me being directionally impaired, walked into the kitchen thinking it was a bathroom.

I was about to turn around and walk out when I saw Artemis sitting at a small breakfast table. It looked out of place in this giant stainless steel cube, the dingy oak table. But he was there sipping a glass of orange juice with a cold sandwich on a plate untouched. Aware of my presence, Artemis turned around and nearly spat out what he was in the process of swallowing.

"Um, you have a little blood on the side of your face," he said trying to be kind. Yeah, the side of my face, my neck, my forehead, all over my shirt....

"Yeah, about that," I smiled. "You're going to have a severe drop in the wolf population on your estate."

He frowned a little and I wondered what I had done wrong.

"Besides possibly throwing the ecosystem into monumental chaos you seemed to have gotten some blood on you," he took the napkin from his plate setting and walked over the faucet. Turning it on, he wet the napkin and started to wash off my face.

"Why thank you," I said sarcastically, sitting on top of the counter. "You know, I think you should be thanking me.'

"Why? Did you foresee my immediate death involving a wolf of some sort?"

"No but it isn't out of the question," I had some wolf friends. Most of which wouldn't mind me killing their distant cousins but would snap my neck for betraying my oath. Oopsy.

"Hold still," he said impatiently trying to clean me up. "I had Butler go out and shop for you."

"Yes, besides being a world trained assassin he also has a wonderful eye for color and size," I rolled my eyes but according to Artemis's expression I was correct. "So do you have something that falls into the category of camouflage?"

"No," he frowned. "I suppose that might be an issue."

"No not really, I just think that it gets you into character," I shrugged. "Have you formulated some brilliant plan as to how we're going to break out Christophe?"

"Of course."

"Well I'm going to go take a shower," I said hopping down from the counter and landing softly. I lacked shoes and from my ankles up to my knees was covered in caked dirt and blood. Lovely.

I navigated my way through the mansion with minimal effect. Seeing that all I knew was how to get to Artemis's bedroom and the kitchen I went to his bedroom. There was a master bathroom in there, I think.

Turns out I was right. There were even a set of clothes set out for me. A black turtle neck and sweatpants with gun holsters and matching boots were folded perfectly in front of me. I could smell that they were all cotton or cashmere. They all looked the right size and I didn't have to worry about anything but knee high socks. There was even lingerie which was slightly disturbing but better than nothing.

I walked into the marble bathroom and turned on the shower. The entire place was black marble and stainless steel and it looked like it stepped out of a magazine. I cracked up the hot water and began to strip. I had to wash my hair and took out the bottle of unmarked shampoo from a carved out shelf on the opposite side of the clouded glass door.

One of the most relaxing things for me was taking a nice long shower. Everything smelt like tea; the shampoos, the soap, even the wash cloth. When I stepped out I remembered that I had left my clothes folded on Artemis's bed. Grabbing a dark blue towel with Artemis's initials embroidered into it I quickly wrapped it around my body and marveled at how short it was. With a swift movement of my hand the water in my hair quickly pulled out and I threw it back into the shower with a splash.

Upon walking out I saw Artemis looking through his closet. His gaze caught my own and he blushed scarlet trying to look away. I pulled the towel further up only to realize that made it shorter around my legs. His heart was beating way too fast and I though mind would have skipped a beat.

"Artemis!" my voice cracked. "Out! Now!"

"Sorry," he mumbled still blushing as he grabbed a shirt off a hanger and walking across the room making sure not to cross my path. Not minding that he was being kicked out of his own room he was half way to the door and I was close to dying from embarrassment when the door opened and some blond haired wonder stepped in wearing an evening gown.

"Am I interrupting?" she turned to walk out. I was always amazed with the similarities between brother and sister. I started to subconsciously compare her to Butler and her.

"Juliet meet Lyrissa," Artemis automatically introduced us. I viewed her as a treat even though she smelt slightly of car exhaust. I crinkled my nose but she held out a hand.

"Lyrirssa Alcyone," I said shaking it and refraining from breaking every bone in her hand. The bright side of her being here was that if she and Artemis were going out I could always just kill her.

"Juliet Butler," she said airily. Some part of me wondered what Butler's first name was but chances are I wouldn't need to know so I didn't ask. I walked over to the bed and stacked my clothes up into a pile.

"Get dressed," I ordered both of them with a glare to Juliet's little black dress. "If were about to break into a high security info structure you can't look like your going to a cocktail party afterward." Unless you were, I thought, reminded of one particular incident that brought a smile to my blood red lips.

I turned around and walked back into the bathroom. I felt like banging my head into the wall but then I remembered that I would only break the wall and nothing would be gained. In stead, I got dressed in vampire speed and walked out to see Artemis dressed. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a black turtleneck.

"We match," he smiled.

"Don't let it go to your head," I said brusquely, walking by him. He took a UPS mass storage device off his desk and walked next to me down the hallway to a destination I did not know.

Normally I would have viewed this situation as a trap. A ploy, something to get me to go somewhere that I could easily be cornered into. For all I knew Artemis could be plotting against me and leading me to my death. For some odd reason when all of this came to mind I dismissed it. I hadn't felt this feeling in a long time. My human memories were clouded over by time but I recognized this as trust.

We walked in silence and I tied my hair back with a black ribbon. My eyes were grey which I hated. I figured that my eyes would go from grey to gold to blue where they would stay for the longest before I became dangerously short on blood. Green, black, and red were not good. But they were grey for now which was good enough.

All this time I had been measuring my life in what it wasn't. I wasn't alive, I wasn't benefitting the world, I wasn't happy, and now I had trust, hope. Hope is the last to die.

We went down yet another flight of stairs. I was about to suggest that Artemis install an elevator somewhere in his house when I noticed how different this floor was. There was no extravagant carpeting or furnishings. No paintings on the wall or mahogany coffee tables. In fact, there wasn't even paint on the concrete walls. The entire place seemed to be made out of the grey stuff.

He swiped a key card and went into a room that I soon followed him into. Holly and Juliet sat at a metal table inside the windowless room. Butler stood to the side and Artemis who took a seat while I stood to his left. No one looked at all happy; especially Holly who was drumming her hands impatiently on the table while Artemis logged on.

I saw the projector overhead and I bit my bottom lip in anticipation of Artemis's plan. When he did bring it up, the lights around the room went dark and the projector flicked on a blue light and with amazing clarity lit up the entire room, 360 degrees. It was like we were transported into the LEP's station, blueprint style.

"We will enter here," said Artemis spinning around the projection so we were facing the front entrance. "The plan is fairly simple. Christophe is being help on the twenty third floor but most security will be concentrated on the ground floors."

"Actually it's really on the fifth floor," said Holly. "The guys on in the lobby couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag. I can't believe I'm helping you."

"Go on," I said tapping my foot. It was almost too easy. A few steps down from assassinating world leaders. The whole invasion of Georgia, yeah, that was me.

"So the fifth floor can easily be avoided," Artemis went on. "But the heavy artillery on the holding floor must be funneled down to a place where they can be trapped. For that we need a distraction. Stop smiling Juliet."

"Can Butler and Juliet provide a distraction while we three go up to the floor 23?" I asked.

"Please?" begged Juliet.

"Fine, just don't kill anything," said Holly before Artemis had time to agree.

"Back to the breaking out of Chris, if you can get those tasers away from me he'll be out in ten seconds flat," I said. "Can we cut the electricity?"

"Yes," said Artemis typing it in. "If we can cut the electricy then getting out will be a lot easier. We'll have to get back down to the ground floor and escape during the pandemonium."

"We're going to need some ammunition and body armor," said Butler.

"Tell me something I don't know" said Juliet, musing the possibilities

"Lemon sharks lose their teeth every two weeks," I said randomly. "Back on topic, I have the weapons back at me place."

"Is it safe?" asked Holly. "Did Chris give up the location?"

"No way," I shrugged. "He wouldn't in a million years. Not to mention that the LEP has loads less leverage now that I'm gone."

"So it's set," Artemis closed the computer and I smiled.

Getting to the house was a breeze. No one talked on the ride over but I could sense Juliet's confusing as we walked down the tracks. I stayed off the third rail and walked at a normal pace. At the house something didn't seem right. I held the other back as I racked my eyes across the place. The weapons were all in their right place, nothing was missing. But the sent was wrong.

"Someone's been here," I said angry. "No one knows about this place. It's impossible.'

"How do you know?" asked Juliet.

"The smell," I said. "Someone I know. I can't put my finger on it but it's not right."

"Who cares so long as they didn't take anything," said Holly going over and taking a run off a rack. "Let's just get this over with so I can write my resignation. That is, as long as Root doesn't fire and/or shoot me."

I walked without sound through the racks of weapons. The garage was clean, everything just as I had left it. I even ran a scan on the computer. Nothing was wrong and it was driving me insane. I just tried to read between the lines and ignore it.

"How are we going to get there?" Holly asked. "I don't think the LEP returned your car."

"I have a spare," I said walking back into the garage and flicking on the lights. I made a mental note to instale The Clapper. I had the jingle stuck in my head.

Rows upon rows of cars were illuminated by the lights. I took the keys to an Aston Martin Vanquish off the wall and started it. Yes, I have Aston Martins lying around as spares. I got into the driver's seat and waited for the others to join me. They were all just staring.

"Hello? Earth to people/elves? I'm not getting any younger!" well it you want to be technical I wasn't aging at all. Stupid fourteen year old body. I seriously considered beeping the horn before they made some movement and got into the car.

I got booted out of the front seat by Butler and Holly called shotgun. So I was in the middle with a large ominous weapon on my lap. In my shoulder holsters I had two normal handguns. All of our weapons were clunky human things. Clumsy noisemakers compared to those Chris and Angela had designed for me.

Apparently human cars were a fad. Seeing that we couldn't use the parking garage on the west side I brought us to the more wealthy side of town. It's amazing how much you can dig out with dynamite. But on the road I saw five Jags, three Porsches, and a Mercedes. When we finally pulled up to the LEP's front entrance Holly looked like she wanted to die.

"I am so getting fired," she muttered so no one could hear. Sometimes I ought to be damned for my hearing.

We got out of the car. Thanks to the tinted windows no one had seen the five of us pile into the car but now we were out in the open for everyone to see. The LEP was going to need one heluva excuse.

When we walked into the lobby the place was a mess. When I had come in, everything had been neatly organized and the press was being held back. A D-Notice probably got put on my arrival so no one could publish anything on it. Now the potted plants had been smashed on the ground. There were bodies everywhere but not a drop of blood. I couldn't hear any heartbeats.

"There necks were snapped," I said kicking one over. _"Misericordia pro nullus"_

"Mercy for none," Artemis translated. "Who do you think it was?"

"Crap!" I screamed. "They're here for me and Chris!" This was followed by a stream of swears from me. My brain froze over in fear and I desperately tried to restart it.

"We'll take the elevator," said Holly ready to avenge the deaths of her co-workers. "You'll be faster on the stairs."

I didn't make any comment but rather bolted up the stairs. It was a series of steps going up in a square patter. 460 steps spaced six inches apart on ninty degree angles later I reached the floor. I wanted to go faster but the fast I went the harder it was to turn and I rammed the walls a number of time, clipping pieces of cement where my shoulder rammed into corners.

Catching my breath I realized the floor was empty. I went to the room where Chris was being held and went to open the door. The charge hit me like a brick wall and I recoiled. Taking a deep breath I drew the dirt from the potted plant next to me. I rolled it into rock like a snowball and I propelled it into the steel door hard enough for it to break off its hinges.

The elevator to my right and left opened at the same time.

"Lyrissa," said the striking vampire walking out from the elevator I faced. "Long time no see."

"Stay away from me William," I said brandishing a knife I had covered in Venenum. "I don't love you anymore."

**Well this was almost three thousand words so *takes a bow* i accept your award. well seeing that the shiny trophy only exists in my mind i would be eternally grateful to those of you that press the purple button. So tomorrow is election day...no one say who you're voting for! we're not allowed to talk about it in school anymore. there was a figth that i might or might not have taken a large part it.  
anywho, push the purple button!**


	10. Chpt 10: oh bite me

**if they change the site one more time i'm going to shoot someone! just saying, this is from Lyrissa's POV. back to business:**

"Why can't we just speak like civilized beings?" Will asked bowing with his hands gestured out. He gave me my ex-favorite crooked smile and I scowled accordingly.

"Because if you and your thugs don't turn around and walk away this instant then I will gladly cut your heart out," I glared.

"I see you still have your spark," it was a muttered I was intended to catch. "Oh good, you've brought snacks."

He made a move to go and kill my companions but I grabbed him by the collar just in time. It would have been very easy to love William. His gentle looks and accent made it easy for me to adore him. His blond hair and pleasant smile were all just part of his masquerade. One I had fallen to and vowed never to adhere to again.

"You said you wanted to talk," I tried to distract him. "What about?"

"I suggested we spoke under a less...violent manor," his gaze flicked to my knife.

I set it down on the ground and kicked it to Artemis who stopped it with his shoe. 'Pick it up' I mouthed the words and he did so.

The next to go were my guns which I decanted the ammo from and kicked them to the side. I had a _lot _of guns and I saw one of Will's goons raise their eyebrows at the sight. In addition to this growing pile I added a series of knives I had hidden away in my belt. Some throwing stars followed and a few low-grade explosives.

Will followed the suit and the tinkle of weapons falling to the ground filled the corridor once more. Our company remained armed. Well mine did but Will told his friends to give me the benefit of the doubt and they dropped the on the floor. I knew everyone on a personal level, former friends one might say. Just because this situation wasn't awkward enough.

"What do you want Will?" I asked bluntly.

"Why you of course," he shrugged. "You are all I've ever wanted in this life. I'm here under orders to kill Christophe and torture you until the location of the waters is disclosed and then kill you."

"That must have been _so_ hard to listen to," I rolled my eyes. "And what part of 'I don't love you and I never want to see you again' didn't you understand? I thought I made it quite clear when I screamed it at the top of my lungs."

"Why did you break up with me?" he pleaded for an explanation. "I love you."

"Loved," I corrected. "And you took it way too fast."

"We dated for 126 years, how much slower did you want me to go?"

"I don't know!?" I threw my head back. Not _this _talk again. "But you should have thought before you went and cheated! And with my best friend? Come on Will, you threw my life into a soap opera!"

"Well who do you love now?" why? So you can kill them?

"You don't always have to be in love," I turned my shoulder away from him. "Stay away from me."

"But I love you," he grabbed me and spun me around like a top.

"You have never been rejected, have you?" I sighed a breath I did not need. "We both know you're not going to kill me or Chris so turn around and walk away. Tell them I hit you or something, but just leave me alone."

I turned around to walk away and retrieve my knife. Artemis was holding it examining why it was shining a soft blue glow. He ran his finger across the edge to see how sharp it was and I faltered knowing that the blade was enough to cut him with just the touch. There was no stopping the blood part but I made a move to hold my breath.

Just as I was inhaling I caught his sent. It threw me into an erotic state for it was the sweetest, most perfect smell of anything in the world. Pure ecstasy. My body shook slightly and I could feel the color drain from my eyes. There was no point in holding myself back. I could taste the venom dripping off my fangs and everything was blocked out except the smell of that blood.

I wanted it. I _needed_ it. I pounced towards him with the intent to kill and drain every last drop of his precious blood. One moment I was prepared to sink my teeth into the tender flesh of the neck when I found myself nailed to the wall by iron clad grips on my wrists. I saw a blur of Will's blond hair streak towards me and the next thing I knew I was locked in a kiss.

I didn't know whether it was to distract me from killing Artemis or just an attempt to kiss me but it was working to kill the sent of Artemis's blood. I closed my eyes and didn't even bother to fight back as Will poured what was left of his souls into a kiss. Not needing air, this went on for a long time before he finally pulled back.

He actually didn't pull back because when I opened my eyes Chris had my knife out of Artemis's hands and against Will's neck.

"She said to leave her alone," my brother growled.

"All's fair in love and war," smiled Will and Chris punching him hard enough to shatter a human jaw.

"Tell Angela that it's not going to be that easy," he said as Will reset his jaw himself. Chris's eyes narrowed and I picked up a gun, locked and loaded, pointed at one of Will's goons I knew as Glen.

"What took you so long?" I growled at Chris.

"The chair would not break!"

I rolled my eyes and looked towards Holly. She had positioned herself against a wall so no enemies could get behind her but she was still close enough to protect Artemis. I felt a little jealous that she got to be around him while I was stuck being patronized by ex-boyfriends. Juliet had a carbon image of the glare on Butler's face as they stared down our foes with guns pointed at them.

"Let's get out of here," Juliet said.

"Not until I kill the vampires," said Holly with the grip on the trigger tightening. I knew she knew that a blast from her gun would not kill Will but it did sting like hell.

"Oh bite me," Will rolled his eyes.

"I have an idea," said Artemis out of no where. "But we would need some copper wire...."

"On it," I tossed my gun to Chris who caught it without as much as a sideways glance. He held it aimed at Glen while my poisoned knife was still at Will's throat. I went back into the interrogation room that Chris had been held in and placed my fingers on the sound proofed panels.

I knew for a fact that the station lack adequate funding and most of it ran on a series of wires. The centaur would have all wireless connections but the rest of the place lacked them. I tapped my fingers against the wall until I used the vibrations to paint a picture of what lay under it. I punched through it and ripped out a thick bundle of wire about six feet in length.

Walking back into the hall I found that everyone, with the exception of Artemis, had taken a position so the vampires were mobilized with high voltage weapons pointed at their skulks. I wanted Artemis to keep a safe distance for I could still smell his blood.

"Now wrap the wires around their wrists like a set of handcuffs," he suggested while I was fantasizing about his blood. I snapped myself out of in and did as he asked.

"This are you binds?" asked Will. "I expected more Ly."

I slapped him across his face hard enough to leave a red welt on his pasty skin at the mere mention of my nickname. "Don't ever call me Ly. You have no right to even be in the same room as me! And if you dare doubt me again I will cut your heart out with a white hot blade I will personally dull on your girlfriend's skull."

"But you are my girlfriend," he smiled a crooked smile and I suggested he do a number of anatomically difficult things when Artemis took me by the shoulder.

"He's not worth it," he said but I cracked my knuckles anyway. I punched the wall in frustration only to have it crumble underneath the force. I eyed a number of electric wires and figured out Artemis's plan. "Would you be so kind as to-"

I ripped them out the wall and twisted my extra wire around them to lengthen the chain. Quickly stripping the rubber coating I attached them to the binds on my fellow vampires and watched in grim satisfaction as the current flowed through them.

"Let's make like a tree and leave," Juliet holstered her weapon.

"You will rue this day!" yelled Will when all five of us turned to leave. "Beasts will dance upon your ashes for Andrea will send an army after you."

"Then why don't you tell her, William dearest," I twisted the last of the copper wire around his neck loosely. I leaned close to him so only he could hear my whisper, "We'll be waiting."

Before he could snap back at me I turned and walked away as he stood paralyzed by the electric shock as well as my own rejection. I walked down the stairs with Chris as the others took the elevator. We went at a normal pace for Chris's sake because he was dehydrated. I did my best to avoid eye contact and conversation but Chris ignored my preference as usual.

"What was that back there?" he asked quietly with full knowledge that I didn't not want to go down this road.

"Nothing. Let it die."

"I thought you had control," disappointment dripped off his voice.

"It won't happen again."

"You can bet on that," he said. "I don't want you within twenty feet of him unless someone is a credible threat."

"Chris, you can't!"

"I can and I will," he glared and I shut up. "It's for the better of the two of you. Ly, you know William wasn't kidding when he said that they'll send an army after us. We're AWOL with precious cargo; I can't have you distracted if we're making it out of this alive."

"This isn't World War II," I said. "As soon as we're state side we'll be fine! Can't we just-"

"No, and that's final," he handed me back my Venenum knife which I grabbed begrudgingly. "Walk to the garage and rendezvous at the Fowl Manor."

My better judgment told me what he was doing was right but I felt jealousy and resentment as I caught a set of keys blindly. It was a Nissan but I didn't care for the model. I just stuffed my hands into my pockets and grumbled as I walked the city streets alone. No one would mind my absence but I was still unhappy with the arrangement. I was so wrapped up in my own rage that I didn't hear the footsteps behind me.

Someone's hand clenched over my mouth and I felt the syringe they stabbed into my arm. The world started to haze over as I struggled to stay awake with no avail.

"Hello darling," Will whispered into my ear before I fell unwillingly into him arms.

**sorry it took so long and it's so damn short but it has been one helluva week. hug a tree but don't hug me.  
jace**


	11. Chpt 11: backed into the corner

**does anyone know a beta or is a beta or something? p.s. artemis's pov is back with a vengeance.  
****wow would you look at that, in the last month i still don't own the rights to the series. paypal on eBay is having emotional issues.**

**Chapter... is this 11? well it get's a title:**

**i'm stuck with someone half my age but twice as smart, everyone's plotting against me, and the girl i love is falling back in love with her ex  
sounds like high school.**

"Where's Lyrissa?" I asked as Christophe got into the car and crossed him arms impatiently.

"Stay away from my sister," he said. I was fully taken aback by the accusation that I didn't think to deny it. "Now get in."

We all piled into the car once more as Christophe demanded silence. He was glaring at something I could not see as Juliet kept casting sideways glances towards Christophe who was ignoring her.

I pondered what could have happen to Lyrissa but I decided that she was probably just taking a different route back to my home. Judging by Christophe's rigid back it was best not to mention it. I twiddled my thumbs as I thought about what William had said back there. He was obviously in love with her even though his way of expressing it required some physiological attention. Did Lyrissa return the favor?

Favor was the wrong word. For someone as unique as Lyrissa to be in love was a grace incomparable to the experiences of man. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. It had been a long day but it was still the afternoon. I watched the world blur by, my head buzzing with thought of Lyrissa.

Suddenly Christophe slammed down on the brakes and I slammed my head into the driver's seat. I didn't have it nearly as bad as Holly whose forehead hit the plastic of the driver's armrest hard enough to bruise.

"D'Arvit!" she cursed rubbing her forehead.

"Why are we stopping?" asked Juliet.

Christophe just tightened his grip on the steering wheel until he began to imprint on it. We were stopped in front of an empty lot with a _SOLD _sign placed in the middle. There was some graffiti on the wooden fence around it and plants growing out of cracks in the concrete.

"Why are we stopping?" Juliet asked again as he reached into the glove compartment and rummaged through some things.

"Here," he emerged with a dowel-like object made of the same diamond substance I had found on the container with the water. It was about a foot long and while less than an inch in diameter it looked deathly sharp. "Hold out your hand."

Holly, being the first to prove she was not a wimp, held out a gloved hand palm up. Christophe pushed up one of her sleeves and started to draw a rune on her skin. It didn't seem to hurt her but I was surprised to see the black star shine a lime green before disappearing into her arm.

"It's called a Thrisel," said Chris as he drew two swords crossing on his wrist. "It uses our magic to protect us."

"What kind of magic is this?" Holly rubbed at her arm as if she would see the mark again.

"We half-demons have to do something when murder becomes dull," he smiled and Juliet held out her own arm eager to try the magic. "You should be able to see the building now."

Holly looked out the window and jumped a bit. All I saw was the empty lot but I concluded that the run enabled a way of seeing beyond some form of bended light.

"I'm Juliet by the way," she said giddy. "It was cool how you broke that chair back there. I guess you can do anything when your adrenalin is pumping."

"It also helps to have the unholy strength of the damned," he drew hers quickly and Juliet had a faint scar where the mark had been drawn. Butler went next and finally me. There was a sensation of pins and needles but nothing too bad, I just found it odd that a four story building appeared out of thin air.

We all tumbled out of the car and walked up the pathway to the building that looked to be made completely on reflective glass. In shone back the light of modern architecture and stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the slums. We made our way through the revolving doors and I was surprised to see that the building was completely deserted.

The marble floors had been recently polished and the red wood desk stationed in the center of the lobby wrapped around like a crescent and a brass leaf gleamed with antiquity.

Christophe whistled tonelessly as he walked up to the desk and drummed his fingers impatiently against the desk. I followed him across the floor as Holly eyed the potted plants that seemed to be made of gold. A little camera with an attached speaker set and microphone rose out of the table like a spherical eye.

"Please state you name and business," it said in a generic voice.

"I'm here to speak with Mira," he said. "Tell her it's Christophe Corelli."

"Christophe who?" a young girl's voice came over the speaker. She seemed ecstatic while Christophe looked a bit entertained himself. It was hard to not have a sweet spot for the small child I heard on the other line.

"Look Jenna, I need to talk to talk with your Mommy and it's very important," he said seriously.

"Is Auntie Lyrissa with you?" she asked even more excited if it was possible.

"No but I'll give you a treat if you open the door," Christophe resorted to bribery.

"How old do you think I am, five?"

"You are five sweetie."

"I am six years old next month!" Jenna snapped.

"Just open the door," he begged. "Are you even allowed to be operating the mic?"

There was some silence followed by a small click. Behind the desk the frame of a door emerged outlined with a white light. I had to squint a bit but when it was done the door slid casually to the left and revealed an elevator. Christophe hopped onto the desk and swung his legs over. He gave us a look and Juliet followed the suit. To my embarrassment I couldn't quite pull myself onto the counter and had to be given a hand by Butler.

Once inside the elevator Christophe swiped a key card a pushed one of the stainless steel buttons. It blinked red before sending us downward to the mellow sound of a saxophone playing from invisible speakers.

The door opened and Holly gasped. We were above everything, a staircase to our left, but bellow us two scores of vampires were working with other beings. I recognized many as nymphs, pixies, and who I presumed to be werewolves. Their race was not a factor for they continued to work efficiently, marking papers and working codes of computers.

Christophe flung himself over the railing and fell the three stories down to the bottom level. No one seemed to notice or even glance up. The stairs were just there for decoration, obsolete technology in this workplace.

"Run a trace on the last text I received," he threw his cell phone casually to a technician.

"May I have you attention please?" Christophe asked as I hurried down the stair case, inspecting the work being done on the countless computers. I couldn't quite understand it because there were some unknown languages they were using. Not Gnomish or human or any mix of the two, it was giving me a headache when Christophe made his request.

Every computer shut off, the conversation died, and all attention was directed to him out of respect.

"There's been a tragic turn in our plans," he said solemnly but in complete control. "It appears that my darling sister has been kidnapped by Andrea and she now has an uncanny leverage over me." There was not the gasp that I expected but many had expressions of shock on their face, I knew it was written all over mine.

"None the less it has also presented us with an opportunity," Christophe did his best to sound optimistic and his public speaking was perfected to an art form. "We know now where Andrea will be and our plans will be able to succeed. I have brought with me some great friends who will help us bring about the change that we need.

"They all have their specialties and their human genes will be of no issue," he looked toward me in reassurance. "Now let's get to work! We have forty seven hours, twenty-two minutes, and fifty one seconds to bring down an empire!'

The number flashed up on a screen and everyone got to work, some blurring from one station to the next, conversation exploded along with the sounds of dial tones and keys hitting the keyboard in record speeds.

"Andrew, Jared, Lauren, and Mira," Christophe ordered over the noise. "Front and center."

Out of thin air the two girls appeared. They seemed to be polar opposites, one dressed smartly in what looked like a gray school uniform, the other in a Led Zeppelin tee-shirt and cut up denim shorts. She eyed me in curiosity, her chocolate hair flowing past her shoulders still wet from a shower. The other girl didn't seem at all surprised but her gaze was locked on Christophe like a love struck teenager. The both of them were no older than 15 and the boys appeared behind us were perhaps two years older in physical appearance.

The first thing I noticed about the blond one was the scar crossing over his left eye. It didn't affect his bright blue eyes but it did clash with his positive aura. He was also wearing street clothes but they had many painting and oil stains on them.

"Hi, I'm Jared," he shook my hand with an American accent. "You must be this Artemis guy. I'm the mechanic, Laur's got the wicked shirt and Mira's eyeing Chris like she's going to attack at any moment," he explained quickly. "Andy should be here in three...two...one."

"Sorry I'm late," Andrew was obviously not sorry he was late. "Hello young, violent ones."

"Daddy!" squealed a familiar voice as a little girl tackled Chris.

"You have a daughter!" Holly shrieked and Juliet's jaw hit the floor.

"Back off girls," Mira joked as she picked up presumably her daughter. "Jenna, why don't you go and play with the other children?"

"No!" she put her knees on Chris who sat up as much as he could without knocking her off. "I wanna play with _you_."

"Jenna," Mira scowled picking her up. "Your father and I have a lot of work to do now run along."

"But you told me not to run inside the work area," she pouted irritably. "And the other kids are _so _immature. They wanna play blocks and I wanna discus the rhythmic connection between Bach and Mozart."

"Artemis, would you entertain my daughter for a while?" Christophe brushed himself off. "She share your love for...everything forty years too old for you."

"Um..." I backed away from the little pink girl.

"Do you know Auntie Lyrissa?" she asked but continued before I could give an answer, "She's my bestest friend! We do everything together and I'm going to be just like her when I grow up."

"I believe that it would make us all a bit more comfortable," said Mira sarcastically as she neatly tied the ribbons in Jenna's hair that had come loose.

"Meaning if you don't want us leeches to clean you dry then you go," Lauren said darkly. "Move it Mud Boy!"

Jared shook his head. "That's not the politically correct-"

"I said **march!**" Lauren directed but Jenna was already leading me by the hand down a corridor. She was blabbering incoherently about her theory on the American economy while I tried to keep up for fear of my arm being pulled off. I had just enough time to look back and see Andrew bring up a blueprint on a plasma screen television before we rounded the corner.

Jenna was quite a curious child and even though I would have much preferred to be back constructing a plan her company was quite enjoyable. It was near impossible to hate someone as adorable as her and how she had such a philosophical grasp on the world was marvelous.

The room was a cheesecake yellow with lush pink car petting. It was very different from the rest of the technological center, more children friendly. There were priceless pieces of art lying in the corner, replaced by the child's art. It was very much like a nursery with the same children's toys I had growing up. There was an empty white crib in the corner, much too small for Jenna, with a mobile hanging above.

"That's for the baby," she said uninterested as she lay on the floor to draw a picture with some crayons.

"The baby?" I asked.

"Yeah," she rolled her eyes. "I'm getting a new baby brother or sister in the next seven months."

"But you don't sleep," I pointed out.

_"Please"_ Jenna waved her hand at me as if I had missed the most obvious of things. _"Vampires_ don't sleep. I'm half vampire, half werewolf, one of a kind. So when Mommy and Daddy have another baby then I'll be one of two. Not nearly as appealing so I hope it's a boy, therefore I will be the only girl of my kind."

"I see," I lied. Mira didn't seem to be sixteen herself but she must have been tough to give birth to a half dead child. Wait, that doesn't make sense. For Jenna to be a werewolf she would have to have been bitten by a werewolf. And you can't be half bitten, right? But don't the same rules apply for vampires? It was all giving me a terrible headache when Jenna finished her picture.

"I made a picture of you!" she said quite pleased with herself. I had to say that it wasn't half bad if it were the work of a mediocre artist. But for a six year old she was a prodigy. "Who are you anyway? You're not in any of my auntie's files; I would have remembered you being human."

"Files?" I inquired.

"Yeah, do you want to see them?" she perked up. "My auntie keeps files on everyone including me. But first you have to tell me your name." She walked over to the dresser and guarded the bottom drawer like a treasure chest.

"Artemis Fowl," I said and Jenna happily opened the drawer. The drawer was filled five feet across with thick manila folders, colored post-its stuck out of every corner and she grimaced. She shut it and then stood up to pull a key from a silver chain around her neck. Jenna unlocked the compartment above. She had to stand on her the tips of her toes before she triumphantly pulled out a few sheets of blue stationary.

"This is the only person named Artemis F." she spread the papers out on the ground after locking the exchequer. "It's mostly gibberish but see what you can make of it."

There was a mindless sweep of characters strewn across the papers. They were all from the desk of a hotel and most of them were just questions. Many of them were _Paris__? Mongolia? Connecticut?_ And they all had line crossing through them in frustration.

"Look," Jenna pointed to one sheet. "See the cross in the circle? It's Lyrissa's symbol for trust. And here's a candle, which means that you're alive. Well no duh but its cool seeing that she never met you."

'What about this one?" I pointed to a flower that was drawn on every page numerous times. Jenna pursed her lips and crossed her arms.

"I'm not sure, she never told me," she didn't like the idea of Lyrissa having a secret. "It's a lotus though. I think it's her favorite flower but I might be wrong because we normally just stick to facts. Everything on you is just so...wishy washy."

"Do you have a file on Lyrissa?" I asked and Jenna nodded quickly picking up her positive mood. She sprung up to go retrieve it while I tried to make sense of the pages. I took out my cell phone and snapped a few pictures before it lost power. I went back to analyzing the pages when Jenna dropped another file next to me.

"There one thing I think you should know about your file," she said a little uncertain. She pointed on of her fingers to the two circles locked together on the last page. "This means that you're going to die."

--

"Chris," Mira looked towards me just as confident as the day we met. "I'm coming with you."

"Not even if hell froze over," I told her. She beat out everyone, even Lauren, at stealth missions like these. We didn't still call her Mira Swift for kicks. If I could have had her on my team then I would in a metaphoric heartbeat but that wasn't an option. "You're staying here with the baby."

"The baby's not coming for a long time," she took my shoulder. "I can't let you do this alone, she's your sister."

"You're my wife," I shook her off.

"I'm not a child!" she challenged. "I'm old enough to take care of myself."

"You're twenty-four," I said. "When I was your age-"

"When you were my age we still had the bubonic plague," she crossed her arms. "You know I'm the best you've got."

"Maybe you should listen to her," said Lauren which caused me to stop. If she was agreeing with Mira on something then it was worth a listen even if this was not negotiable. "We need Lyrissa back and I can only image what William is doing to her."

"You've got to be insane," thank God Jared was siding with me. "She's pregnant! This isn't a broken arm or a sprained ankle, and we are already risking enough by having Mira in the field."

"I sit behind a desk, that isn't exactly field work." Andre leaned his back against the wall as he cleaned a gun.

"I have an idea," Mira said with a stroke of apparent guineas. "We could exchange the human for Ly in a totally over dramatic hostage situation. This way he wouldn't be our problem, we get Lyrissa back, and we can shoot him when we're through so Andrea can't get anything out of him."

"That's...not a bad idea." I admitted.

* * *

**Lyrissa's POV**

"Will," I started. I was perfectly awake now and I could see my surroundings quite clearly. We were in the dining room of a great castle, Eastern Europe judging by the architecture. It could have been moved here because there was no where in a day's trip from Ireland that had such ice. I didn't favor the black banners that hung dead on the walls but they did add an appropriate morbid touch to the glacial landscape I found out the windows.

"Yes love?" we sat opposite at a long redwood table.

My memories of the previous hours were foggy. The best of them were of me waking up strew on an ancient bed that smelt terribly of moth balls and finding the sleek black dress I wore hung on a hanger by the door. I didn't have any shoes on and my feet would have been cold had not my body temperature been below room temperature so everything felt hotter than it was.

"What do you want?" I cut to the chase. I could hear things all around us. Quite footsteps but no heartbeats. There wasn't a hint of blood in this entire place but it reeked of Andrea.

"Technically that's not the grammatically appropriate answer but I thought it was obvious.'

"Humor me."

"Why to prove my undying love to you," I could almost hear him say "duh" afterward but he didn't.

"I hate being lied to," I muttered to myself. There was some more important reason to why I was being held captive on this barren wasteland. All I could do was wait until Chris found me. If he found me. I wasn't exactly easy to find if I had no clue where I was.

"Are you going to tell me what I want to know?" he asked quietly, not breaking eye contact.

"If you're referring to where I hid the waters I didn't hide them. They're gone."

"I hate being lied to as well," he shook his head. "That may be why we belong together." I gave an exasperated sigh.

"What did you do to me that I can't teleport out of here?" believe me I had tried. My entire body ached from the pain I had forced upon it only to find myself back in this damned place.

"So many questions..." he mused. I glared him down in his dark blue tunic and black pants; he was twice as good looking as anyone had the right to be, human or otherwise. It would have been so easy to leave everything as water under the bridge and love him again but when I though of Artemis I repelled from his angelic being with disgust.

He was wearing the necklace I had tied onto him, the strand of copper wire. He had twisted it a little but now it looked more like decoration than the derogatory symbol I had made it out to be. I frowned at him, it seemed like the adult thing to do.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How I want to cut your eyes out with a spoon," I said pleasantly. I twirled the ancient soup spoon around in my hand ominously and he smiled back crookedly at me. I bent the spoon with my thumb and let it drop onto an empty plate.

"That was a priceless antique," he seemed amused which just pissed me off more.

"Somehow I doubt I'll lose any sleep over it."

"You'll be pleased to know that you won't be graced with my presence much longer," he said making his way over to me and offering his hand. If I wasn't wearing Prada then I would have though this was bad romance movie based off the early eighteenth century. "Soon enough your boyfriend will be here."

"I don't know if you've met Artemis but he isn't the type to rescue someone in person," seeing an Artemis robot might be entertaining. You know, plastic explosives clothes, poison filled eyes, your basic killing machine. Made only of the basic parts in a stapler!

"Oh he won't be rescuing you," Will interrupted my infomercial fantasy.

"What makes you so sure," he had that note in his voice villains got right before they divulged their master plan in the movies. I took his hand to encourage him to tell.

"You remember that stupid little girl Christophe fell head over heels for?"

"Mira," I corrected with a scowl. "And she's twenty-four."

"Yes, the dog," he remembered. "How would you like it if I told you that in exchange for Artemis I would let her child live and her husband's death to be quick and painless?"

"I would wait uneasily for the punch line of an ill humored joke," I crossed my arms and bit my bottom lip, one nervous habit I had managed to break.

"Would you like to hear the terms that she would suffer if she did not agree?"

"Mira has no power," I sounded about as confident as I felt. "She would definitely tell Chris and he'd find a way out of it. Not to mention Lauren would find out, she watches everyone like a hawk."

"Lauren has just as much to lose," he assured me. "As does Andrew, Jared, and even Marcus. They all know. It truly is amazing how our minds, even after a millennium to evolve, still don't recognize the difference between the value of life and when to sacrifice it. You're little rebellion will fall and when it does you'll realize that it was for the best and you'll take your rightful place."

"Which is where?" I asked harshly. It would work, the evil layout was perfect, almost artistic in a demented way.

I quickly calculated my chance of making it out of this alive was much higher than everyone else's. My brother was practically dead, his wife, my niece, all of my backstabbing friends, but more importantly, the only person who treated me unlike Will's ex-girlfriend would be gone within the day. Artemis being gone gave me an unfarmiliar cold feeling in my chest. I blinked back non existent tears and took a deep breath.

"Where do I belong?" I asked weakly.

Maybe, just maybe, he would be as good to me as I thought in our early years. Maybe I would convince him to keep his end of the deal and let Mira and Jenna live even though I was certain he planned otherwise. Will would do it for me. Chris was a lost cause and so was Artemis but I knew Andrea, she would let one of them live. Whoever gave up the location of the waters would see the sun rise.

"Next to me of course."

"Of course," I agreed in defeat.

He held me close and let me rest my chin of his shoulders. I held my breath to keep from sobbing.

**THE END!  
just kidding**

**  
this was the longest flipping thing i've ever written. i'm looking for some feedback here! but i'm just going to remind you: all beta's are welcome!  
now to be subtle: REVIEW!!!**


	12. authors note SORRY!

**ok, hate to let you all down but i need serious help.**

**it's been i think 2 months since i updated and i really am at a lost for what to do. i've tried a MILLION different senerios and none of them are coming out right! i've killed people, brought them back, exploded ideas, added characters, burned down a building, and nothing at all is coming out like i want it to sound.**

**if you have an idea TELL ME! i wont rob the whole thing because i have a twisted mind that the plot will have to follow.  
jace**


	13. Chpt 12 FINALLY! hey, i updated, deal

**merry be-lated christmas/new year/valentines day cause i know i'm not getting this up by then.  
don't own. don't sue.**

"Artemis," he said as he walked through the door. Chris looked toward Jenna with a forced smile and glanced toward the door. The little girl understood and walked out into the hall. "We need to talk."

"Your last name is Marino, you're Italian, not Greek," I said. "And not related to Lyrissa."

"We share blood," he said vaguely. "But me and you have to go."

"You and I," I corrected automatically and he rolled his eyes. "And where are we going?"

"Why is that important?"

"Because the last time someone didn't tell me we ended up breaking _you_ out of prison and getting Lyrissa captured by her ex-boyfriend physopath who is holding her ransom for a secret water thing that is supposed to kill the world or something along those lines," I said.

"You've been hanging around my daughter too long," he muttered.

"Which brings me to my next point-" I started but Christophe lost his patience and he just grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back an inch from its breaking point.

"Shut up," he said very simply. "Now I'm going to need your help, do you understand?"

I nodded in fear that my voice would not work.

"Good, now outside of this room are a few scores of creatures of various power that want me to exchange you for my sister's life." Techinically they weren't related but somehow I though that voicing that would result in my utter demise. I just listened like a good mud boy.

"It's a good idea actually," he went on. "But I'm inclined to accept the deal but I think Ly would rather be lost and dead than live knowing it's her fault you're dead. Got it?"

I nodded again.

"This is what we're going to do-"

"Christophe!" Andrew walked down the hall and Christophe slammed my head into the wall and held it there.

"Shut up!" he screamed at me. He leaned in and wispered, "Just follow my lead. I'll explain everything to you later."

"What are you waiting for?" I could hear Andrew in the doorway of Jenna's nursery.

"Sorry friend, this is going to throb a bit," he pulled me away from the wall. By now I had come to understand two things:

1. Christophe was planning to exchange me for Lyrissa and hopefully steal me back. But until then he had to sell off that he hated me, which wasn't going to be hard for one of us.  
2. The fist about to collide with the side of my face with approximately 250 Joules behind it was going to do more than throb.

The later concussion proved my second hypothesis.

--

**look, i wrote this in sudden inspiration on a plane that i'm not supposed to have a lap top on, let alone the one i semi-stole from my best friend's boyfriend. so please review and because my writing has been hiting a giant brick wall and i cant doodle in the margins i'm going to have to ask you to be patient. i just really wanted to get something up.  
-jace  
p.s. REVIEWS with SUGGESTIONS work too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	14. Capt 13: the l word

**i hate red pickup's, drunk drivers, hospital beds, the smell of latex, rock hard cookies, and answering machines.**

**i still cant pronounce his first name and i dont own his characters**

* * *

"Shh," Lyrissa hushed pushing me back down into the cot. "You don't have the energy, Chris."

"Nonsense," I tried to resist and pushed her hands away but I fell to the stone floor and lacked the strength to drag myself up. "Where am I?"

"I don't know," she hissed. "You're the one who came, I thought you would at least know where it was."

"What happened?" I felt her place a damp towel over my brow to help me relax.

"You came here with Artemis and Andrew but Andrew knocked you out when you got out of the car, I was watching from the balcony," her voice held a certain tremor and I knew something was wrong. "Then he handed Artemis over to William and took you downstairs for interrogation."

"I remember that part," I lifted myself up on my elbows to see Lyrissa wince at my words.

"Give me your wrist," she held out her hand and I didn't hesitate. She swiftly cut deep into my wrist but I didn't pull away, I had learned long ago not to question Lyrissa's actions. She put my hand in her lap as she reached for a small black bottle from under her wooden stool. She opened it and pressed a cotton pad against the mouth.

"That bad, huh?" I asked amused. She looked back apologetically. "I hate it when you lie."

"This is going to hurt a lot," she bit her lower lip. I nodded once before she pressed it against my bleeding wrist and I inhaled sharply. Lyrissa was wrapping it up as fast as she could. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yes," I said through clenched teeth. The poison Andrew had injected me with had undoubtedly spread through my entire body by now. The only way to keep it from slowly killing me or at least weakening me enough so I would corporate was to send another poison through me, something that would break down the first one.

"Put some decent clothes on," I ordered and she laughed. "I'm morally damned, not dead! Geez, I've seen less revealing dish cloths."

"It's called a dress, girls wear them," Lyrissa laughed back at me. "You have heard of girls, right?"

"You don't want to be here for the next few hours," I told her seriously. "Where's Artemis?"

"He should be coming out of interrogation soon," she said coldly. I look at my wrist only to see my watch had a shattered face and stopped long ago. Lyrissa sighed. "It's been 72 hours. Artemis has been in there for a little less than 11 minutes."

"Ly, please refresh my memory. How long was the longest you have ever been interrogated?"

"115 hours 42 minutes and nine seconds without a break," Lyrissa's back went rigid and I knew I was bringing up bad memories.

"As a human," I raised my eyebrows and she bowed her head.

"25 minutes," she whispered, her hand going to her left forearm where I knew Lyrissa had scars.

I didn't know what to do. On one hand Lyrissa was about to let everything she worked for slip away but she could be happy, have a decent life that didn't involve anyone from her past, including me. Or she would be completely miserable but safe, not having to constantly look over her shoulder or change names.

"He loves you," I told her. "And you return the feeling."

"That's not true," Lyrissa shook her head refusing to look at me. "I don't, I've told myself a million times and I don't. He can't love me."

"When I confronted Artemis earlier I gave him a list of plans to find you," I confessed. "There must have been a dozen that didn't involve him giving himself up but they all had a greater chance of you not surviving. He put himself before you and I know you did the same when you agreed to come with Will if he left us alone."

Her head snapped up. She didn't think I knew. I was about to say something important when I felt an electric jolt at my shoulder that caused me to fall back on to the bed.

"Go," I gasped. "I'll be alright in a few hours time."

"I'm sorry," she whispered kissing me gently on the forehead. "I'll come back for you."

I waited until I heard the door close behind her.

"Liar."

* * *

I wished I was like Jared. He could tell you exactly what someone was thinking and not have to keep guessing if they were really on your side. It was hard for him to fake his death and after Andrea killed Rosemary he didn't really have too much to live for. Now he just fixed things for us, knowing our every thought and never doubting our trust.

But I wasn't like that. I didn't even know what I was thinking half the time. I knew very little about my own past except that I was stupid enough to fall in love. I walked the uneven stone floor in black ballet flats, one foot after another in a perfect line. That's what I concentrated on, walking was much more calming than what I was about to do.

The metal doors really threw off the whole "dark dungeon" look. But I knew the doors were enforced to the point where I wouldn't be able to easily break them. This was quite an accomplishment.

Instead I stood square in front of it. I lifted my head and took a deep breath before knocking quietly on the door twice. I waited five seconds before the door swung open and I saw Andrew wiping his hands off with a towel. He looked kindly at me even though we had never been the best of friends I was on his side. For now.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, I need you to go find my fiancé for me," I said looking up at him because Andrew was half a head taller than me.

"I'm a bit occupied," he looked over his shoulder to where Artemis slumped with his head hanging forward and his arms tied behind a chair. "Do you think that you could perform the task without me?"

"I know exactly where he is," I rolled my eyes. Yeah I knew where he was. Andrea's bedroom. "Let me rephrase, you seem a bit slow today. I need you to go find him so you can discus our plans for crushing the resistance. I'm not allowed to engage in these plans yet but I assure nothing is more important to me."

"How do I know where your alliances stand?" he drew himself close to me and I could smell the blood on his lips. It wasn't Artemis's but I felt my senses dull in longing. "You haven't been loyal to us."

"Ask Will," I smiled. "On this trip we've developed a new...trust."

"And he has been able to change your position?" crap. He didn't believe me.

"Every night," I gave another smile and Andrew looked quite pleased. This didn't distract me from Artemis who's tightened his mussels at my statement. Andrew stepped right by me and gave me a little pat of the back before making his was nimbly up the stairs and back to the bleak world.

I stepped through the door and closed it behind me softly. I leaned against it trying to draw strength from some unknown part in my mind as the smell of Artemis's blood got stronger and stronger. I just looked at his back and I didn't think I had the strength to take as step closer without killing him.

"Are you just going to stand there?" he spoke softly as if we were discussing the weather over afternoon tea. I held my breath and ignored the stick-sweet taste of the air.

"Let me help you," I begged untying the knots and breaking the cords where I lost patience. "Look at me Artemis. Please."

I lifted his chin up and brushed his hair out of his eyes. A mix of dirt and blood were caked onto his face and I could see where Andrew had been hitting him. Artemis didn't talk because he didn't know where I hid the waters. I felt a fool for this running through my mind and would have blush had blood run through my veins.

"You've been biting your nails," he said when I brought his hands forward and rubbed his wrist. I was trying to get the circulation back into them which was easier said then done. Especially when I could feel his precious blood flowing through him.

"Nervous habit," I dismissed. "You have to come with me, I have medical supplies in my bedroom."

"I'm sure that's not the only thing." He muttered but I caught the words. They cut through me like a poison and I froze in shock.

"I don't love him," I said to myself. A little louder I said, "Will is no one to me. He's a bastard and a pitiful waste of life. It's there's anything we aren't clear on please tell me now before I find out when I drug you to an inch of you life."

"You fell in love with him once."

"To love is to destroy," I told him. "I sealed my own fate and never forgave myself. Or is my constant suffering not good enough for you? Do you suggest I try stabbing myself because, quite frankly, I've done suicide and it hasn't been very productive."

He looked shocked and I didn't bother listening to his protest because I lifted him up and started to carry him up the stairs. He weighed the exact weight of what I remembered carrying apples to be like. Ok, now he was really having me obsess over fruit. Funny, I haven't had a bite to eat in nearly a centaury and now I'm craving apples. Great....

I knew very few rooms in the castle but Will was sure I knew where my room, his room, the prison cells, and the dining room were. We always had to talk to each other over a dinner we never ate with food that were so damn far away that the only way to pass the salt was to walk ten feet to the center of the table. I carried Artemis up the marble staircase and towards my room.

My room was meant for a girl which told you how little Will knew about me. I flipped on the lights even though I didn't need to because I could see anyway. It was so Artemis didn't seem so creped out why my entire room was oriental themed. The feng shui was a nice touch though. I liked my lamp though, it gave a nice red glow through the room.

"Come on, you need to rest," I laid him down on the bed. "Now do you remember what happened?" I asked taking out my outdated med kit that was probably complimentary with home purchases over 2 million.

"That was a stupid question," grumbled Artemis leaning back. "I need a shower."

"That is quite true," I told him. "We'll do that later. And give you a haircut but right now I'm more concerned that you're bleeding on my nice clean sheets which means I now have to burn them. I'm going to have to give you some drugs that may or may not have you pass out."

"Fabulous."

"I haven't injected you yet," I started to clean off his arm with an alcohol pad. He wasn't Chris so I actually had to be a good nurse. I couldn't just stab him and get the measurement about right. That could actually kill him. "So this will only sting for a minute or so."

"Where's Christophe?" he asked trying to sit up but I pushed him down trying not to hurt his fragile frame. "Is he alright? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I told him. Yes, fine. Freaking out, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotion. "Perfectly fine."

"What about Christophe?"

"He's much stronger than you are which is why you have to stop talking."

"I'm telling you right now I cannot be held accountable for anything I'm going to say in the near future," he held out his hand and we shook on it. "Don't you think your husband will but upset?" Artemis spat the words.

"He's rather...infatuated at the moment." OK, bad word choice but I got my point across. "I've got it covered, he's still under the impression that he's irresistible."

"Is he?" Artemis looked at me seriously and if I wasn't an undead blood sucking vampire I would have swore that there was jealousy in his eyes.

"I'll tell you in the morning," I said before injecting him and I held his wrist until I felt his pulse slow. I sighed and started to unroll some bandages. I had nothing to make a splint with so I guess I had to break my nightstand. Oh well, it wasn't as if I used it.

I started ripping apart bandages and wrapping the deep cut on his arm. I knew was it was for too which sickened me. I was going to have to play nurse for a few more days and avoid Will or distract him so he didn't notice I smelt like strawberries. I was nearly done, the only wounds left unattended were small cuts that were only to sting as first blows. He was in a deep sleep and I was happy because I knew anything he would say would be undeniably true. I was lucky I got to him when I did because if I knew Andrew, which I did very well, he would have cut the tendons in his hands next.

"Goodnight Artemis," I sighed turning off the light so my red lamp could only illuminate the room softly. I kissed him softly on the forehead and turned to leave.

"Goodnight Lyrissa," Artemis muttered. "I love you."

"I love you too," I closed the door and took a few deep breaths. I needed to talk to Chris.

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**i got hit by a car so if you review i'll be way happier. no, seriously. red pickup truck.**

**this is a very nice long chapter and i know i went a bit overboard with the doc stuff. i guess it rubs off. so enjoy the snow if ur on the upper east coast so please drop a review and i'll be just fine.**


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